Broken Silence
by Kuesuno
Summary: Shizue was born into a world of twisted intentions and pain. She is wise thanks to Chinmoku. From birth she can understand and comprehend the things around her. She will end up being torn away from the things she cares about... she will break but maybe not forever. GaaraxOC!
1. Quiet Understanding

**I am happy to introduce my newest story. I'm supper excited about this one because I am becoming absolutely in love with the ninja world that is Naruto. I hope you guys enjoy. I unfortunately don't own Naruto ;_; **

Silence filled the room as the baby was held up in Takashi's arms. The child opened her eyes and stared up at her father. She did not cry or squirm; only sat in her place observing the man in front of her. Her mother was unconscious though not dead. The woman's face was twisted in agony and disgust.

"Are you sure that the bonding worked", Takashi asked curiously. Most women died after giving birth to such a creature.

"Yes. Chinmoku is a special one; he is named for his silence and calm nature. Unlike the other restless beasts his previous hosts have never had any birthing problems though do not be fooled. He is equally deadly if not more so because of his nature", replied the aged ex-Hyuga. He looked down at the small girl with his Byakugan seeing the specks of black chakra that flowed through her natural bright yellow color.

Takashi looked back down at his child, "Hello my sweet Shizue. Welcome to the world and the village hidden in the night." The man caressed his daughter's soft cheek, "We are small and not many know of us but I hope that you can be part of our society. I am truly sorry that I had to bring you into such a terrible world but know that I love you and will try to ease the pain that is sure to come to you."

The small girl seemed to understand Takashi's ramblings and only stared in reply. A groan came from behind Shizue and she turned to face her mother's slowly awakening form.

"Ah. Rai is finally resurfacing", the Hyuga man muttered.

Rai, apparently, opened her eyes slowly and winced as pain spread through her. She groggily began to take in her surroundings. Finally she zeroed in on the child in Takashi's arms and she growled lowly, "Why am I not dead?"

Shizue's father had an air of pity, "It seems that the five-tail's birth did not require your death."

"No, no, no! I was supposed to die", she said in a panicked voice. She looked at her child once more and disgust returned to her features, "Get that _thing_ away from me. You are all repulsive."

Hyuga approached her, "Calm yourself, Rai. She may contain a beast but that 'thing'; as you so kindly put it; is still your daughter."

The woman looked down at her hands and with a shaky voice replied, "I didn't ask for any of this. That is not my child. If it was child I would have wanted it, but that's not what happened." She pointed an accusing finger at Takashi, "You raped that being into me and the turned it into even more of a monstrosity!"

Shizue's eyes widened in hurt at her mother's words. Chinmoku was wise and by extension so was she. He would whisper the meaning of these things to her and despite her understanding she still felt hurt at the words of someone who was meant to love you. The infant watched as Rai backed up into a corner.

"Leave! Just go and leave me alone", the woman's voice rang through the room.

With Shizue in his arms and Hyuga close behind; Takashi headed for the door and turned slightly just before leaving, "We may leave this room but you know full well that you have no other place but here."

They left Rai to weep in a fetal position and to curse the world for her pain. As they entered a long corridor Shizue began to analyze the area round her. She was in a large building with many rooms. Whoever her father was he must have been important. They finally stopped at a door near the end of the hall. Takashi slid the door open to reveal and room with beautiful rose oak wood flooring and pristine walls. There was a sturdy new-looking crib near a window that gave a view of the whole village and a box presumably filled with toys. On the wall closest to the door was a closet that seemed to be quite spacious.

Takashi carried Shizue to her crib and placed her there amongst the soft mat, plush blanket, and fluffy pillow that resided beneath her. His eyes were filled with adoration; he may have even appeared a dotting regular father to a stranger's eye but the events of the past few minutes proves otherwise. He was so obviously twisted and sick yet the love he felt for his daughter was true and in truth that's all that really mattered to the tiny girl.

He leaned down and kissed Shizue's forehead, "Sleep my child."

Accordingly she closed her eyes letting her breath even though she wasn't really asleep; her body much too restless for that. "I congratulate your success Takashi-sama", Hyuga commented quietly so as not to disturb the supposedly sleeping infant.

The recent father smiled widely, "Thank you. Let us speak outside of her room. I do not wish to wake my sweet child."

Both men walked out of her room and shut the door softly behind them.

**Shizue POV**

I heard the door slide closed and opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling. I knew where I was and what was going on but I also knew that it wasn't my own influence that let me know these things. I could feel something inside me that sent me feelings of understanding yet it did not talk nor did it feel aggressive. I wondered slightly what exactly this thing was but did not want to waste time asking having a feeling that it wouldn't answer me regardless. Despite my understanding of the words that were spoken to/around me I still had the emotions and maturity of a baby. I still had the urge to cry or scream, to stick my hand in my mouth, to look around the room and attempt to escape my bed. All these urges still plagued me, but I knew enough to try and resist them.

In an effort to distract myself from my childish urges I looked out the window. The sight was beautiful. The sky was a clear cotton-candy blue without a cloud, beneath the sky were luscious deep green trees, and through that I could see peeks of our village. From what I could tell most of the buildings were made from a midnight dark material and there was shops scattered here and there instead of a row-like market place.

I stared out of the window for quite a while until the sun was low in the sky and the village quiet. I could hear the thud of footsteps just outside of my door and waited for the person to enter. The door slid open to reveal my father with a jovial smile slapped on his face. He walked over to me and picked me up from my crib; cradling me in his arms. Together we traveled to the kitchen and he grabbed me a bottle of a strange liquid that was most definitely not milk.

"Rai is refusing to breast feed so it seems that I will have to improvise", he pointed at the greenish tinted watery stuff contained in the bottle, "This is a formula that has the same effect of breast milk. It doesn't taste great but it helps with development so please drink it my beautiful Shizue."

He held the container close to me and I narrowed my eyes at it before finally deciding to give in to Takashi's wishes. As soon as the liquid touched my tongue I could tell what he meant. The taste was super sour causing my face to scrunch up then it became a grainy sweet taste (**Like Pepto-Bismol**) before finally settling on a dull dough-like flavor. Every one of my infant instincts told me to spit out the offending liquid but I forced myself to swallow it in an effort to please my father. I don't know why I had such a strong need to make him happy but I did. He smiled at me sympathetically and stroked my hair as I drank.

When I finally finished he removed the bottle into the sink, "I'm sorry that you had to drink that."

We went back to my room and he set me back into my crib but instead of leaving he sat down on the floor right in front of me. He looked at me for a while; I'm not sure how long but it felt like forever. He had pretty sea-green eyes and short auburn hair that framed his face nicely. Takashi's complexion was smooth with a tannish color. His face had a heart shaped and he wore a nice tight fitting gray shirt with long sleeves along with coal black baggy pants and a lopsided belt just above the waistline of his pants. I'm sure he was considered very attractive by most other women.

Finally he spoke; his voice filled with kindness, "Shizue you know where you are correct?"

She nodded slightly without making a sound and he continued, "Well here I am a very important person and because you are my child so are you. Our last name is Kinjo and it is the name of our people's strongest clan. You are the only child born into this generation. My brother and two sisters have yet to conceive and I doubt that they plan to any time soon. You are most precious to me because you are my daughter and precious to them because for now you are the only one who can carry on our name."

He looked out the window as the ginormous moon crept ever father into the sky and stars dotted the space around it. He stayed quiet for another long while and his demeanor was very serious. Once the night had fully come he stood.

"Goodnight my sweet. I must go rest now. I want you to do the same", he whispered before leaning into my crib and kissing me lightly on the forehead.

Takashi left the room silently; closing the door behind him. I looked at the ceiling for a few minutes before closing my eyes so that I could sleep; not wanting to disappoint my father. It didn't take long for the fingers of unconsciousness to wrap around me. I was in a dreary hall with scrapped walls; the tan paint peeling away. There was wreckage all around me on the floor. Many doors lined the maze-like corridor. Somehow I was crawling; I waddled towards an open door on instinct. Once inside I faced a large cage structure. The sound of steady breathing emanated from the dark prison though I couldn't see a thing. I heard the creature from within stand and stalk towards the front of the cage. With its body half in the light I could see it.

It had large striking bright golden eyes that seemed a contradiction of calming and fear-striking. Something told me that this creature was male. He had midnight colored fur that seemed to flicker as if it were a shadow and he stood on all fours with large paws. The creature towered over me and I noticed five tails swinging with interest behind him. Its muzzle was long and slightly opened allowing for me to see his immaculate sharp white teeth. There was a golden symbol on his front right shoulder blade. "_Who are you_", I questioned in my own mind. He said nothing in response but his eyes looked at the symbol and a word/name came to my mind. "_Chinmoku? That's your name? I see. Why are you here_?" Once again he spoke no words but the expression in his eyes did. They told me that he was stuck here and another image flashed through my head of him being captured. "_A… demon_?" He nodded in response to my thought. Before I knew what I was doing I was crawling towards the gap in his cage. I stopped just short of passing through the bars and felt his warm presence. I could tell it was supposed to bring fear but I only felt serene calm near him. "_I see. You're very calm for a demon. Then again; I guess all demons have a bit of different natures; don't they_?" I looked up at him and his eyes said nothing to me.

Suddenly I felt myself being pulled away from the strange world by sounds coming from far off. The noises got closer and closer until I woke in my bed. Sunlight poured from my window and I could hear the hustle and bustle of people outside of my door. As if on que my father walked through the door.

"Good morning Shizue", he greeted cheerfully.

Takashi walked over to the side of the crib and pulled me out. He held me so that my abdomen pressed against his chest and I looked over his shoulder behind him. As we walked towards the kitchen I noticed the way that the people we passed would look back at me with a mix of disgust, fear, and curiosity. I wondered idly why such emotions swirled in their minds. I once again forced the liquid concoction down my throat but instead of being taken back to my room my father took me somewhere else. He introduced me to my aunt and uncle.

"Morning Akahito and Tsukiko", he turned to me, "Shizue this is your aunt and uncle."

I looked at them and nodded. Akahito looked at me with a look of repulsion, "This is your daughter? She seems very intelligent."

He seemed to be trying to cover his dislike of me with compliments. Tsukiko though didn't seem to have any interest in me at all. She simply looked me over once, "Shizue seems a fitting name. Sorry Takashi but I don't have time to chat. I must go on a mission."

With that she turned and left. "Yes and I must return to my work. I have to train our ninja well don't I?" Akahito also left. "_A ninja trainer_", I thought, "_I feel bad for his trainees_."

Takashi continued to carry me through the mansion with many twists and turns until we finally reached a beautiful garden. Large trees dotted the landscape; some had vibrant fruit hanging from the branches. The grass was trimmed short and had a nice lime-green shade, colorful flowers appeared in places that complimented the garden well, a few rose bushes appeared around the area. In the center of the garden was a large concrete symbol. It was an almost perfect circle with three long wavy lines coming down from the center of the circle. It was simple yet elegant. He sat me down in his lap facing an intricate flower. Pure white with orange-red dots spotting the petals which were curly and long; it was truly wonderful.

I looked up at my father with a questioning look and pointed at the flower.

He smiled, "That is a special flower. It is only seen in this village. Do you like it?"

I nodded thoughtfully, "_It's so pretty_."

"It's called Tsuki Hana; moon flower. It shines at night", he informed happily.

I reached out and touched the delicate petals. They were silky on the underside but like fur on the top side. The sides of my mouth twitched upward in a small pleasant grin. We stayed in the garden for hours in silence. It was very nice but eventually we left the serene place. We traveled to a room and I could hear the weeping of someone within. Takashi opened the door to reveal a dark room and on the floor sat a woman with a kunai knife held in her palm. "_Mother_", the thought intruded; letting me know of her identity.

"Rai… what are you doing? You know you can't hurt me with that." Takashi sounded bored at her antics.

"I will not live in the hell any longer. I wish you all pain and suffering and after that… death. You all disgust me and that thing you hold is nothing but a monster… I am ashamed that I had to birth it", with that she plunged the triangular knife into her stomach.

My father's body tensed and a pain shot through my chest. I felt a stinging in my eyes at her words. I watched on as my mother pushed the knife down and shakily to the right; she was attempting a most honorable death and made it to the second point before her body gave out and she was splayed face down on the hard ground. Blood speckled my father and I as we stared at the woman. The dark red liquid pooled around her and I felt strong sadness.

Takashi took me to a warm bath and washed away the blood after he had arranged for someone to clean up Rai's corpse. I was unbelievably pained at my mother's words; they cut deep into my heart. I could only be happy for my father's love. He gave me another bottle that I chugged down with determination so that I would please Takashi. He set me back in the bed but when he left I could not fall asleep. I stayed awake all night just staring out of the window.

**So guys what do you think? I have a lot planned for our little Shizue. By the way for those who don't know her name means quiet inlet or quiet child and is pronounced she-zoo-eh. Also as I was planning this story I became unsure if I wanted to make it a SasukexOC or GaaraxOC so if you guys could give me your feedback on what you would like that would be wonderful! I hope you all enjoyed! I will hopefully be posting the next chapter immediately! Buh-Bye ~Kue**


	2. Alone Again

**Kue: Hey thought I would give this kind of intro a try!**

** Shizue:…**

** Kue: Shizue it's not gonna work if you don't say anything! ;_;**

** Shizue: *walks away***

** Kue: Wait! Don't go! Noooo… *sigh* I guess I have to do this on my own…. Anyway I don't own Naruto *grumble* and I really hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Time passed quickly for me. Within two months I was able to crawl and after four I could walk. To me it was a simple task but when my family members had seen me waddling through the halls a new, stronger, air of fear came about them. "_What is so wrong about me that they always feel like that_", I would think very often. It didn't matter though; not to me anyway, my father showed on countless occasions that he truly cared for me. He was the only one who did not speak to me with disgust or hatred and he would hold me with such tender gentleness. Despite those around me I felt content with Takashi. He would often talk to me and even though by six months I could talk back; I never did.

Unfortunately my happiness proved short lived; shortly after my first birthday my loving father became ill. He got around on crutches and then after that on a wheel chair. On my second birthday he was so sick that he couldn't even hold me up. Six months after I turned two years old he reached the state of being bed ridden. He couldn't move and he had a hard time speaking. Every day I would visit with him. I would have someone pick me up and set me down next to him since his bed was so high up and I would lay with him; most of the time in silence, though there were rare occasions where he had enough energy to speak. Because he was no longer constantly around I was treated with more hate by much of my family. I didn't complain and I didn't let Takashi know about it for his own sake but it hurt inside when they called me names or pushed me in the hall. When I turned three I was allowed to go outside. I did and I quickly learned that my level of intelligence was not normal for most children. In my eyes they all seemed so naïve. They too avoided me like I had some kind of contagious disease; I guessed that it was due to their parents' whisperings when I came around. After a few months of being shunned in that way I stopped going out. The only time I left the house was to visit the garden and my precious Tsuki Hanas.

Three and a half years; that was all the time I experienced with my father before his heart finally gave out. It was the first time since my mother's suicide that I cried. I lay down by my father's death bed and cried for hours. No one dared enter the room while I was there. Once I was done crying I stood over him.

I leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead then spoke my first words, "Goodnight father."

I left the room feeling lightheaded. I thought I was alone after that; completely alone. The next six months were almost a living hell. Each day I woke I was treated like nothing more than a _thing_. There was only one person who still tried to help me; that was my second aunt Asa. She was young and sweet. She stayed at home because she was fairly fragile. Her nature was kind and even if she didn't specifically have love for me she had loved my father as a brother and wanted to care for me. Asa would often help me from behind the scenes and I came to have a bond with her because of that. I trusted her.

Today I was turning four years old. I woke and hoped down from my comfy bed and walked to the garden. "_Something feels off today_", I observed quietly. The house had its usual hustle and bustle about it and the sky was just as blue as any other day and yet something ominous was lurking around the corner; I could just feel it. I was interrupted from my thought when someone came up from behind me.

"Hello Shizue", Asa said sweetly.

I turned towards her and then noticed something in her hands; they were Tsuki Hana seeds. I raised an eye brow at them.

"Well since it's your birthday I thought you might like some of these", she answered my silent question cheerfully.

I formed a small smile and accepted the gift; slipping them into a pouch at my side. She seemed excited that I was in such a pleasant mood and began dragging me off towards the kitchen. Everyone else had already had their breakfast so the room was empty. On the counter sat a plate covered with scrambled eggs, cooked ham, and bread. Asa offered it to me and my eyes widened at the gesture. I hadn't had someone do something so nice since father had become bed ridden; not even her. I took it and ate with a pleasant feeling surrounding my heart.

Once I was finished my aunt took my plate, "You should go outside to the village. It's such a nice day."

I nodded in agreement and she smiled widely. "I will see you when you get back since I have some stuff I have to do for Akahito", she said as I left for the door.

The village was in pleasant spirits today and I walked around for a long while just enjoying the warm weather but there was still a strong twisting in my gut that got worse with each minute that passed. Eventually I stopped walking when I hit a nice clearing. It was void of any of the village people and grass grew high. I gave in to the strong urge I had to lie down on the nature's floor. I stared up at the clouds that drifted through the sky feeling at peace. My body suddenly felt very tired. I rarely slept or felt this sort of fatigue but for some reason the desire to sleep washed over me. I closed my eyes, "_Just a short nap_."

When I next woke the sun was setting and the sky was a rainbow color though mostly dark. Night was obviously setting in. I shot up in surprise. I felt panic run through my body but not because I had slept so long but more for the unsettling feeling I had received earlier in the day. The air smelt wrong and when I looked towards my home I noticed a large black smoke cloud rising from the location. I rushed to get there and the closer I got the more screams I could hear. The mansion was on fire and so was much of the rest of the village. "_Asa_!" I ran into the burning house and began a frantic search for my aunt. Each room I went into she was nowhere to be found. Finally I reached the garden and there she lay. She was half on the grass and half on the wood that led out to the serene place. Soot marred her pale face and her clothes were torn. A long gash stretched across her back and blood poured out of the deep wound.

I dropped down in front of her with concern written all over my features and I took her hand into mine. She looked at me with lidded eyes, "Shizue… h-how did you get-t here?"

I shook my head to tell her it didn't matter and she smiled up at me kindly.

"You h-have to get out", she went into a coughing fit and I didn't know what to do, "There a-are p-pe-people here to destroy our village. I-if they see you… they w-will try-y to kill you."

My eyes stung with tears as I shook my head again; refusing to leave her. Asa's breath was labored and her strength was obviously failing her, "Please Shizue… g-get out. F-for my sake."

Her hand fell from my own and I could tell she was unconscious. My face screwed up in pain, "_Why? Why me_?" I stood and ran from the mansion and out into the streets. People scurried away from their homes in futile attempts to avoid death and I could see attackers leaping away from the wreckage. I fell into the shadows of the trees so I wouldn't be spotted and then ran for the forest. I didn't have food, water, or any extra clothes but at this point I didn't care. I kept running until my legs gave out. I collapsed on the ground my entire body aching. I rolled over so that I could look behind me. The smell of smoke still rose from my clothes but the village was now far enough away that I all I could see was the trees in front of me. Not even the bright light from the fire made it through the vegetation. I dragged myself over to a large tree and rested against it. I attempted to catch my breath as best as I could but even after doing so I still could not move. My eye lids felt heavy and even though I resisted as much as I could it was to no avail. I passed out sitting up against the trunk of the tree.

I was back in that tattered place. The area looked exactly the same; with the peeled tan walls and the random wreckage on the ground. I walked towards the open door just as I once had so long ago. I sat criss-cross in front of the cage bars and waited for Chinmoku to approach me. He slowly made his way over to me and sat down on his hind legs. He stared intensely down at me; the only sound heard was of our soft breathings. I could sense a mix of unidentified feelings coming from him. After a while I heard him move. I looked up to see him turning his paw sideways and pushing it out as far as it could reach towards me. My body tensed in anticipation but instead of attack he just rested the paw within my reach. I raised my hand towards it. I stopped my hand just short of its fur; hesitating; before deciding that it wouldn't matter either way if it was a trap. My fingers tangled into the black fur. It was amazingly plush and almost felt non-solid. The feeling was welcoming; I found myself coming closer to the feeling and wrapped myself in the darkness. Finally I let my tears fall without resistance. My face was completely wet and I held tight to Chinmoku. After what seemed like forever I backed away from his paw I looked up at him.

"Thank you", I said this out loud.

He hummed in appreciation and closed his eyes in a gesture that read 'you're welcome'. No matter how intelligent I was that did not change the fact my childish mind and desires were still strong. "_Will… will you leave me too_", I questioned timidly in my mind. He shook his head gently and I smiled. The fox-wolf pulled his paw back into the cage and we sat in passionate silence. I could feel myself being pulled away and I looked up at Chinmoku in goodbye. He closed his eyes and backed into the darkness.

I opened my eyes to the sunlight filtering through the leaves. I shakily stood from my spot and looked around. There was no one around but I could hear the trickling of a stream nearby. I walked towards the sound until I reached the crisp flow of water. I was covered in blood, dirt, and sweet. Making a decision I stripped myself and climbed into the cold water; washing away the impurities caking my skin then after I was done with that I washed my clothes off as well. Both my clothes and my body dried in the sun before I finally re-dressed and began walking. I wasn't sure where I was headed so I just wandered. I spent days like that. I stopped counting how many after around thirteen. I was malnourished; only able to receive water when I found a stream and only got food when I came across edible plants or was able to kill an animal. Chinmoku silently guided me through each day so that I could survive.

Today the forest was thick with fog; I couldn't see a thing so I decided to scale and rest in a tree. Over time I had gained some skill in climbing but only short trees. I heard someone approaching and tensed up. "_I don't like this… I can't see a thing_", I thought with a churning feeling. Finally a man came into my sight. He was tall and had long black hair. It draped over one side of his face, his skin was pale, and purple and gold lined the edges of his nose originating from his eyes. His eyes were an intriguing green-golden.

The strange yet handsome man looked right at me, "Hello young one."

I only looked at him with suspicious eyes in response.

"What's a sweet girl like you doing alone here?" His voice was full of concern though I couldn't discern whether it was genuine or not.

I remained silent but let my expression tell him what he needed to know.

"No home huh?" He seemed to think for a second then smiled kindly holding out his hand to me, "Why don't you come home with me. I have food, water, and an extra bed."

My heart sparked; those childish feelings again. Happiness fluttered in my stomach at his words. I reached out to his hand in acceptance. A big part of me knew that it was foolish but I wanted nothing more than to be cared for. He pulled me down from the tree and I walked with him to an underground tunnel.

"You can think of me as your nii-san from now on", he stated to me kindly.

I nodded and smiled softly at him. Nii-san guided me to a bathroom.

"Wash up in here. I'll wait over there okay?" He pointed to a door a little ways away and I gave him a thumb up.

Ni-san chuckled then went to the room. I turned and entered the bathroom. The tub was filled with steaming hot water. The sight was incredibly beautiful to eyes that had not experienced warm water or a true bath in a long time. I peeled off my clothing and began dipping myself into the bath. It was almost scalding due to how un-used to it I was. Despite the initial burning I still continued to submerge myself. After a few minutes the heat felt good against my reddened skin. I washed my body and hair then let the suds be taken away by the water.

I climbed out and dried myself with a towel; another experience I didn't realize I had missed so much. I got back into my clothes and then observed myself in the floor length mirror near the sink. I had long layered hair that reached the small of my back at a point; it was a fiery red with natural black streaks throughout it. My skin was pale and I had irises that caught many peoples' attention. They were orbs of melted gold with flecks of black. I had sharp canines and a thin face. I wore a long sleeved shirt that showed off my shoulders with connected fish net that covered some of my chest and there was gray fabric beneath the net. The rest of the shirt was a deep maroon color and on the upper right arm of it was the symbol of my village sewed on. My legs were covered by tight black pants that reached my ankles. On my feet was thick gauze that wrapped around twice.

I walked out and entered the room Nii-san had pointed out previously. When I walked in he was speaking with a young boy with gray hair and glasses. He stopped as soon as I entered and looked at me kindly.

"What's your name young one?" He asked seemingly out of the blue.

I thought about actually speaking but then decided against it instead I looked for something to write on. Once I found a paper I scratched my name into it.

"Shizue", he laughed, "That seems very appropriate."

"Indeed", the other boy agreed.

"Is it okay if I call you Shi-chan", Nii-san asked.

I nodded in answer and he smiled at me gratefully. "Shi-chan; would you like to train like a ninja?"

My eyes widened and I hoped up and down with excitement and a look that asked 'really?' "Of course", he responded to my unasked question.

I nodded my head vigorously. Nii-san laughed heartily. "We will get started tomorrow then."

The rest of the day was spent being shown around the large underground home and eating dinner. I didn't eat much since my stomach had obtained a small size after being so malnourished. Not a bit of sleep reached me but when it was morning I was still pumped with energy. Nii-san started me off by placing heavy weights on my legs and having me run laps through the tunnel. Then after that he had me control my chakra so that I could walk up the wall. We spent a week doing training to climb a tree and a month with the leg weights alone. Each day the weight would be added and the wall to walk made higher. He added weights to my arm and trained me to throw kunai and shuriken. This training lasted for a month. Nii-san also trained me to stand on water. Every now and then we would take a day off to relax. Today was one of those days.

We walked through the halls; my weights on with ten pounds extra so I was sluggish in my own terms. It was almost my fifth birthday. I had decided that to celebrate I would plant one of the seeds my dear aunt Asa had given me. I was currently rolling one of the seeds in my fingers.

"What is that Shi-chan", Nii-san inquired.

I held it up for him to examine. "The Tsuki Hana?" He laughed at my expression, "Yes I've heard of it. Do you wish to plant it?"

I hummed in approval but held up my ten fingers. "In ten days? What is so special about ten days from now?"

I blushed a little and wringed my hands shyly. "Oh I see. It must be your birthday!"

Nii-san could read me so well. I nodded to tell him he was right. "Good to know! I'll definitely find something to give you", he said kindly.

My blush deepened and the rest of the walk was quiet. Nii-san understood that I enjoyed and was made for silence. In the time I had spent with Nii-san and Kabuto (the young gray haired ninja I met the first day) I had also gained a strong bond with Chinmoku. He had taken a liking to me it seems, his expressions and the images he showed me let me know it was because I knew true pain now though I knew there was a reason he wasn't sharing with me as well. None-the-less we trusted each other and though I didn't sleep often when I did I would always slip past the bars and share images with him while I curled up on his side.

The day passed pleasantly and so did the next ten days. When my birthday arrived I was thrilled to say the least. I was greeted with sweet curry balls for breakfast and an extra hot bath in the morning. After that Nii-san took me to the tunnel garden he had created and we planted a single Tsuki Hana seed. Finally we traveled out of the tunnel and took a stroll through the forest. It was the first time I had been out in the forest since I had arrived and the sun hurt my eyes at first. When the sun sat low in the sky Nii-san and I stopped at a small river.

He turned to me and held up a necklace with a huge snake scale on it, "Happy birthday Shi-chan", he said in his deep gentle voice.

The scale glimmered in the light and had a goldish tint much like my eyes. The sight was captivating and I was astonished that my Nii-san could find such a wonderful thing. He put the necklace on for me and I felt utter bliss at the gift.

"Will you wear it for always?" His question seemed so innocent but Chinmoku stirred in uneasiness.

I nodded with an expression that shouted 'of course'. He closed his eyes and an appreciative smirk appeared on his lips. As we traveled back to the tunnel a full moon rose high in the sky and I noticed the way my snake scale shined a pearl like color in its light. I headed for bed immediately after we arrived back home.

Once again time flew by for me. The next year was spent on vigorous training; each weight holder held at least eighty-five pounds which was currently my limit before the muscle was torn from my very bone, I could flawlessly walk on water and climb walls, I had mastered the basic technique of cloning and substitution, my taijutsu was at high levels for my age, and my accuracy when it came to kunai and shuriken was almost flawless. Nii-san promised that soon we would be traveling into specific territories that were my strong suit. Tonight was nearing my sixth birthday once again. Nii-san had said he had something special planned; a special gift.

Tonight I couldn't sleep; ever since I had been told of Nii-san's birthday surprise I had become especially restless. I decided to roam the halls. I came across a cracked door and a giddy feeling hit me as Nii-san's voice drifted to my ears. I stealthily pressed my body against the wall to ease drop on the conversation, "_Maybe Nii-san is talking about my gift_!"

"You seem to have grown quite fond of the girl", Kabuto spoke with suspicious undertones.

"Not particularly", Nii-san answered in a bored tone I had never heard before, "but I must appear as her 'Nii-san' remember?"

"I see", the gray haired ninja replied obviously not convinced.

"This girl requires love for her to trust someone. Kabuto you must understand that this girl is not a mere pawn. If she survives the curse mark she may even become the most powerful piece on the board; the queen", my Nii-san spoke evilly. My eyes widened at his words, "_What does he mean_?"

Kabuto raised an eyebrow, "That is quite cruel; even for you Lord Orochimaru."

"Yes I suppose it is but I can't have her as a host because she is… occupied by another. That does not mean I will let her talent get away", he stated in response.

I couldn't take his words. They were ripping me to shreds; tearing away the new foundation I had created in this part of my life. "_Nii-san… doesn't really love me? Why? Why Nii-san_?!" I turned away from the conversation and sprinted for the exit of the tunnel. At first I was as stealthy as I could possibly be but once the moon light was in sight I stopped caring about the noise I made. I was sure that both Kabuto and Nii-san were now aware of my escape but it was too late… I was outside. I ran through the trees as fast as my feet would carry me. Thanks to my Nii-san's training I lasted much longer going at much faster paces. Before I knew it I had reached the entrance to a large looking village. I stopped in front of it but as soon as I stopped running a wave of both physical and emotional exhaustion came over me. "_Where… am I_", was all that crossed my mind before I collapsed on the ground.

When consciousness finally returned to me I was in a fairly uncomfortable bed with white sheets. The room around me had bright gray walls and there was a window on the wall to the right of me where sunlight poured through. An image flashed through my mind from Chinmoku, "_A… hospital_?" I sat up abruptly and ended up losing my balance realizing my weights weren't on and fell sideways out of my bed. While I fell I also managed to crash into the table beside me causing a huge booming noise that alerted the nurses to my resurfacing. A young woman with light brown hair wearing a nurse dress rushed into the room and tried to help me up.

"Oh dear are you alright", she asked in surprise.

"Ugh", I groaned while holding my head and nodding at her.

A man appeared at the door wearing a tight green spandex suit and orange leg warmers that clashed horribly. He had a bowl haircut with huge bushy eyebrows and a vest that was a lighter shade of green over his torso. On his midsection was a sewed on ninja plate; upon looking at the symbol on the plate another image flashed through my head, "_The leaf village_?"

"So she's finally awake", he stated loudly with an air of confidence about him. "_Thanks captain obvious_", still agitated about falling out of my bed.

Another man appeared beside him who wore the same symbol but this time it rested over one eye and a mask covered his mouth and nose leaving only one eye and his striking lop-sided silver hair to be seen. He also wore a light green vest but thankfully he was not clashing horribly like the other man.

"So it would seem", he said in a stoic voice. He began walking towards my now standing figure, "Hello my name is Kakashi Hatake. I am a jounin from the hidden leaf village. Who ar-"

Before Kakashi could finish the one in the spandex interrupted, "And my name's Might Gui! I am also a jounin from the hidden leaf village!" Gui wore a huge sparkling smile and held a thumbs up.

Kakashi glared at the loud man and then continued with his question, "Who are you?"

I looked around the room for a paper and pen of some sort but found nothing. I sighed in defeat and let them hear the voice that had only ever graced the ears of Chinmoku, "I am Shizue Kuroki from the village hidden in the night."

**How was it? I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Poor Shizue she was tricked into another one of Orochimaru's traps. By the way Nii-san means older brother. So she was calling him her big brother. I want to upload again soon! I've already got one person rooting for GaaraxOC so if you want to see SasukexOC you better get a majority vote! I welcome any criticism or praise. See ya as soon as I can. Buh-Bye~ Kue**


	3. Welcome to Konoha

**Kue: Yo! Here is the next chapter. By the way I wanted to say that I took it a little bit over board with the whole 85 lbs on each weight so I lowered it to 40 lbs.**

** Gui: YES YOUTH MAY BE POWERFUL BUT NOT THAT POWERFUL *smiles like an idiot***

** Kakashi: Calm yourself Gui.**

** Kue: *cough* Hey guys I just need you to do the disclaimer please!**

** Kakashi: Ah, of cou-**

** Gui: BY THE POWER OF YOUTH I SHALL ANNOUNCE THAT KUESUNO DOES NOT OWN ANY OF THE NARUTO SERIES ONLY HER YOUTHFUL OC!**

** Kakashi: *facepalm***

Kakashi seemed stunned into silence at my identity but I had no such luck with Gui, "The power of youth leaves me! I do not remember such a village!"

The sound of the obnoxious man's voice seemed to snap the masked man out of his shock but he still hit Gui on the head for his annoying comment. "I see…", he turned to the nurse and smiled with his eyes like an upside down 'u', "Is our patient on good terms to leave?"

"Huh", the nurse seemed a little startled that she was being acknowledged, "O-oh yes! She just needed some rest for her depleted chakra is all and she had lots of cuts and bruises on her."

"Can you go retrieve her things then so that we can head out", Kakashi asked cheerfully.

"Y-yes of course", and the nurse scurried away.

I watched the silver haired ninja closely, "_He doesn't seem dangerous… but then again neither did Nii-san_." "We are going to need to take you to our Hokage so that we can work our your… particular situation", Kakashi answered my stare.

I nodded simply and the sat down on my hospital bed waiting for the nurse to come back. When she did she was rolling in my weights on a chair because she obviously could not pick up the heavy things.

"What are these", Gui asked finally serious.

I had already made my way to them and started strapping one of the weights to my legs when the nurse answered him, "Um well… she came in with these things on. It was really heavy so I couldn't carry them up here by myself."

The spandex ninja reached over and plucked up the remaining weight of the four before I could get it on and his eyes widened a bit, "How old are you Shizue-chan?"

I held of six fingers instead of five since my birthday would be in about three days assuming that I had only been knocked out for one night. The man seemed astonished but I largely ignored the look on his face. The weights weren't very noticeable because the ones on my arms were hidden by the baggy long sleeves of my shirt while the ones on my legs were hidden by the gauze that now reached a bit over my pants so that they would cover the whole weight. After wrapping fresh gauze around my feet and weights I stood up so that we could go. We walked in silence to a ginormous dome shaped building that had some sort of claw at the top; it was quite odd looking to someone who had literally been living in either a forest or cave for the past two years. It took us a while to get the room that had their Hokage in it but when we did I was grateful. Listening to Gui attempt to challenge Kakashi and his constant ramblings about youth was not my ideal day.

We walked in and were greeted by an old man wearing robes and a hat that had fabric attached covering most of his face. "Good morning Hokage-sama", Kakashi said in a friendly manor.

"Good morning Kakashi", the Hokage replied in the same cheerful tone, "and who is this?"

"This is the youthful girl I found by the gates on my way back from my extravagant mission the other day", Gui replied loudly. "_Other day_", I latched on to those two words; now wondering how long I had been out of it.

"Yes", Kakashi continued, "We wanted to talk to you about her. She says that her name is Shizue Kuroki of the village hidden in the night."

The Hokage's entire demeanor seemed to change at that moment from jovial and friendly to serious and slightly concerned. "Is that so", his question was directed at me.

I nodded in approval then pointed to the symbol on the upper right arm of my shirt.

"Where have you been all this time?" The old man's question was simple but it shot so much pain through my chest.

I looked away and felt my eyes sting, "…_Nii-san_."

All three men seemed to catch on to my now red cheeks and nose along with my body language. Neither Gui nor Kakashi seemed to know what to do while the Hokage only sent me a warm smile.

The leader of the Leaf Village reached into his desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and a pen, "I'm sorry Shizue-chan but we have to know at least a little bit so that we can create a safe home here for you."

I quickly decided that I would tell them half of the truth. I began writing down the story from when I left my village behind. The paper told of my many days alone in the forest and how I met an old man who offered to help me rebuild my strength and teach me so skills survive. The old man I was now creating insisted that I learn stealth and speed as an essential trait. In this story the old man passed away after a little over half a year and I left and burned down the house in the middle of nowhere around one month ago. By the paper's story I had been traveling in the forest ever since until I finally found the village gates where I passed out due to the physical exhaustion of living alone in a forest for a whole month. I couldn't help but think that I was envious of this story.

The group seemed to accept my lie, "It seems you have experienced much death for such a young age."

"_You have no idea_", I thought to myself with a slight scowl. "Shizue-chan; do you wish to stay here in the leaf village", the Hokage asked kindly.

I nodded my head with an emotionless mask that I was slowly learning to put in place.

"I will have an apartment prepared for you to stay in. I have another question; seeing as you have already gotten some training in with certain skills that pertain to that of a ninja would you like to attend Konoha's Leaf Shinobi Academy?"

This time my nod was a little more excited.

"Excellent. I will have some paperwork sent through so that you will be enrolled. You won't have missed much since the new school year began only around two weeks ago. In the meantime", Hokage-sama turned to Gui and Kakashi, "I would like you two to show Shizue around the town got it?"

"Well you see Hokage-sama I did have a new issue of- well never mind I can wait till later to read it", a sweat drop appeared on the back of the silver haired ninja's head.

"Yes of course Hokage-sama! The power of youth is strong with this girl! I can't wait to show her to our great village", Gui responded way too over excited.

Hokage-sama waved us off in an expression for us to leave and we turned for the door accordingly. "_I guess since I'm going to become a ninja here I should refer to Gui and Kakashi as 'sensei' now_", I pondered this thought in the quiet of the hallway as we exited the Hogake's building. Kakashi-sensei and Gui-sensei showed me through the whole village though I wasn't paying any particular attention since to me barley any of the landscape was new. Apparently Chinmoku had visited here once shortly before he was taken captive and placed in my body. What I did catch on to though was that I had been passed out for nearly four days which meant I had missed my birthday. By the time we had made it back to the gates another ninja appeared in front of us.

He handed Kakashi-sensei a slip of paper, "The Hokage says that the preparations are complete and that this will be her new address."

With that the shinobi 'poofed' away in a cloud of grayish smoke; leaving us to look at the neat curly hand writing on the paper that directed to my new residence. Both Gui and Kakashi-sensei decided to lead me to my apartment before taking off for whatever it was they had to do. I entered to examine my living quarters. There was definitely enough space for one girl. It had a bathroom, kitchen, main room, bedroom, and a small cupboard near the bathroom. In the past few years I had already experienced all kinds of different life styles when it came to a home. I had lived in a mansion, a cave/tunnel, in the forest, and finally in a fair sized apartment.

The bedroom already had a bed big enough for me and a dresser next it while the front room contained a small couch and an oak table. The kitchen had plates, bowls, a few glasses, a rice cooker, a single pot, three different pans, and eating utensils. I wandered the whole place a few times over; not having much else better to do. Ironically as soon as I plopped down on the couch there was a knock at the door. I opened it and was greeted by a paper wrapped stack or box of some sort. On top was a note that read:

_**I have sent a good amount of money with this note so that you can get food, clothes, and other essentials. I have also sent a small pouch to hold any shuriken or kunai and anything else you might just want to carry around with you. You will start at the academy the day after tomorrow so be ready. Your teacher is Iruka-sensei. Good luck**_

_** -Hokage**_

I picked up the package and brought it inside while shutting the door behind me. I brought it with me to the couch before carefully tearing open the paper. Inside was a tan leather pouch the size of two adult fists put together and underneath it was a smaller dark maroon colored bag. I opened the smaller bag and realized that money was kept inside. There was enough there for me to do a bit of shopping so I closed the little thing and tied it tightly to the base of my ring finger. I headed out for the streets of the village earning a few looks in my direction questioning my identity. I ignored them set on getting where I needed to go. First I stopped at a grocery store and picked up a few bags of uncooked rice, ramen, slim cut raw beef, some fruit, bread, seaweed, a few seasonings, and some veggies as well as two bento boxes that I could trade out. After that I went by a tailor's shop and had them make me about two other sets of clothes that matched the one I was wearing. By the end of my journey it was getting late and I was feeling sluggish while making it back to my apartment. On my way up the stairs to my door I heard a ruckus starting from behind me. I turned in time to see a boy with bright yellow hair and deep blue eyes run around the corner from two men complaining loudly about something.

"_That was… interesting_", I thought utterly confused. I continued on into my place and then packed away everything I had bought into its rightful spot. I took a quick bath then laid down in bed. A window rested next to my bed and vaguely reminded me of my infant years. I starred up at the moon unable to sleep until the sun came back up.

I decided to spend the day productively so I headed for a small tree filled area and began training myself. I threw makeshift kunai and shuriken at certain spots on trees and the ground. I also practiced my jutsu until I was satisfied with a clone I had made of Kakashi-sensei; it wasn't flawless yet but getting very close. It was a comfortable day for me. I felt growing excitement at tomorrow when I would start my official Genin training. I went home with a satisfied smile plastered on my face once I was out of sight. I busied myself with preparing my clothes for the next day, bathing, and making dinner. I decided to make myself some spicy onigiri; it was my own special recipe. Asa taught me how to make it shortly after father's death. I set the rice to cook and pulled out a few slices of thin beef. I chopped them up thoroughly then threw them into a frying pan along with some dried ghost pepper powder, salt, and garlic. When I said I liked my food spicy I really meant it. It was a trait I noticed that was apparent in many of my deceased family members. Our house was always stocked with crazy seasonings that most people wouldn't even dare to touch due to its spice levels.

After I had finished I mixed the meat with a few balls of rice then formed them into the traditional triangle shape before placing a strip of seaweed on the base of the rice ball. I realized at the end that I had made too many and placed two in a bento box to take with me tomorrow. I ate three of the fiery triangles then went to my bedroom and relaxed into my bed. I only received an hour of sleep but when I woke up I was just as energized as ever. I hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to start getting ready. I quickly washed up and dried off. With the same fast pace; I slipped into a fresh pair of clothes. The only thing that had changed about my attire was the gauze that now strapped my leather pouch my upper left thigh and the black ninja shoes that I wore instead of just plain thick gauze wrap. I made sure my weights were hidden on my legs. I didn't have to worry about the ones on my arms. My sleeves barely allowed for the tips of my fingers to show most of the time so seeing the extra pounds I was carrying was near impossibility. For a short time I played with my hair putting it into different style to see if I wanted to do anything different; I tried ponytail, braids, pushing it all to one side, but ultimately I just let it fall like usual with a few juvenile strands falling over my face.

Once I was satisfied and ready to go I grabbed my previously packed bento box from the fridge then shot out the door. I followed the directions to the academy and arrived with some other children. On the outside I looked completely un-amused; in fact I was expressionless but strong excitement boiled hotly in my veins. I began looking for my classroom and froze in my spot momentarily. "_I don't even know what this Iruka person looks like or what number his class room is_", I realized with a start. I felt streaks of gloom running down my forehead at the thought. I wandered for a while before I finally found the class I was supposed to be in. Despite my early arrival to the academy itself; due to my lost-ness I ended up barely making it on time. As soon as I walked in I could feel a few eyes turn to me. I felt a bit self-conscious at their staring because I knew they were all wondered who I was. Iruka noticed me immediately and I didn't have time to maneuver around him before the bell tolled that signaled for classes to begin.

"Ah you much be her", Iruka approached me with a calm smile. He turned to all his now patiently waiting students, "I would like you all to meet a new student. Her name is Shizue Kuroki. Please introduce yourself to her when you get the chance."

A boy in the front row stood up with a huge grin on his face. "_That's the child from yesterday_", I observed quietly. I felt Chinmoku shift uncomfortably and an image of a fox-like creature flashed through my head.

"Hey! My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to be the fifth hokage! Believe it", he shouted. He seemed a bit obnoxious but not un-likeable.

A pink haired girl sitting a row or two behind him scowled at his outburst and a black haired boy beside him just gave him a look that said 'such an idiot'. Iruka-sensei walked over to Naruto and hit him on the head with the side of his hand.

"Not right now baka", he said sternly.

The term was meant to be affectionate and I wondered a bit on the relationship the two might have had. I scanned the room for an empty seat that I could take. There was about four; one was near a boy with fang-like red marks resting just below his eyes and he had a small dog with him, another was near the pink haired one, the third was beside a boy with his hair in a high ponytail that made his hair somewhat resemble a pineapple, and the last was in the front next to a window near with no one next to it. I weighed my options carefully; immediately I ruled out sitting in the front or next to the pinkette. Now it was between the wolfish boy and the bored one, "_Well his puppy is kind of cute_", I decided. I walked over and sat down next to the brunette. Almost instantly the puppy was nuzzling my hand and seemed to have a calm about it.

"Akamaru", it almost sounded like a question.

"_Seems like puppies like you_", I teased Chinmoku; he just ignored me. Class began after everyone settled down and Iruka-sensei started to drone on about chakra; I tuned it out for the most part because I already knew most of the things he was saying. My mind turned to the way Chinmoku had reacted to Naruto. "_What's wrong_", I questioned the demon within me. Another image flashed through my head; this one was a little more clear; it was a creature about the size of Chinmoku and it looked like a mix between a rabbit and a fox but there was something specific I noticed; this thing had nine tails. A light bulb went off in my head, "_He has a demon_?" My wolf-fox confirmed my guess and I turned to look at the back of Naruto's head, "_I guess that makes sense. I can't say I'm not surprised. A child with such a cheerful disposition and yet his demon seems much more openly aggressive than Chinmoku_", I thought to myself in wonderment. "_Then again he may not have the same experiences as I as well_", I added.

When lunch time came around I was extremely confused on where I should sit as most of the class was divided up into their little group of friends. Eventually I decided on a table that was empty other than me; the lack of companionship didn't bother me too much. I pulled out my bento box and opened it almost instantly being hit with the scent of ghost pepper. My mouth watered in anticipation but I was interrupted in my retrieval of the special onigiri by someone taking a seat across from me. It was Naruto.

"Hey; what's up", he greeted as if we were old friends, "Why ya sittin' here all alone huh?"

I only starred at him with a curious expression in response.

He was about to speak again when the pineapple ponytail boy appeared, "Naruto what are you doing?"

"Oh hey Shikamaru; I was just trying to see if the new girl wanted to come sit with us", the blonde replied cheerfully.

"What a drag", Shikamaru sighed.

Again another person made his entry to the conversation; it was the boy who sat next to me. "Yo guys what are you doing?"

"Naruto is trying to get Shizue to sit with us", Shikamaru informed lazily. "_Does he always sound this bored_?"

I was starting to get annoyed; all I wanted to do was eat my lunch in peace and now there was a circle forming around my table and it was drawing some attention.

"I think you're just annoying her more than anything", the wolfish boy picked up on my body language.

"Shut up Kiba", Naruto yelled grumpily.

"You shut up baka", Kiba shouted back.

I heard a small yip from the other side of me and noticed that the dog from earlier; Akamaru, was begging for some of my food. I raised my eyebrows at the dog questioning whether it really wanted some of what I had. The pup only continued to stare with cute big eyes; I couldn't resist. "_Well if Akamaru is really sure about it_", I pulled off a small piece of my spicy meat rice ball and set it in front of the white dog. Akamaru ate it gratefully for only a few seconds before the heat hit. The tiny pup yipped in surprised and then began whining obnoxiously; effectively dragging Kiba away from his shouting match with Naruto.

"What's wrong boy", his voice filled with concern.

The dog barked a few times and the wolf boy seemed to understand oddly enough. Kiba looked at me a bit viciously, "What are in those things?"

I raised an eyebrow in an expression that said 'can't you smell it?' When he only continued to stare I sighed and then raised a bit of the rice to him. He looked at it skeptically then sniffed it. His eyebrows knit in confusion.

"It just smells like regular peppers", before I could stop him he put the small piece in his mouth. Instantly his face heated up and I could almost imagine him breathing fire; I doubt that the others could tell but I was highly amused by the image. "That's not a regular pepper", he looked at me with surprise all over his face while hopping from one foot to another, "Why are you eating ghost pepper in your lunch?"

By this point practically half of the class was actively listening in on the commotion and more than a few of them were looking at me like I was a mad woman. I raised an eyebrow then shrugged before taking a huge bite of one of the onigiri while closing my eyes in content.

"Not even I would eat that", a heavy set boy commented. "_When did he get here_", I didn't even notice his presence before.

Naruto laughed heartily, "Wow new girl that's insane."

The bell interrupted any other comments that might have been made. "Man, what a drag", Shikamaru commented before returning to his seat.

Iruka-sensei resumed his lesson and once again I directed my attention elsewhere. I heard Akamaru still whimpering slightly from the encounter with my food and I patted his head apologetically. He nuzzled my hand in forgiveness. His fur was silky soft but nothing like the way Chinmoku's felt. When you touched the five-tails fur it felt almost as if you were floating and could fall through at any second but at the same time that you were securely rapped in a blanket of the softest material known to man. Just thinking about it made me want to visit the demon in the tattered house.

I sighed deeply and looked down at our sensei trying to see which point of the lesson we were on. I seemed to have decided to pay attention at just the right time.

"Alright class let's all head out so that we can spar and train", Iruka-sensei announced.

"_Hmm… I might have to dumb down my abilities a bit so that my story won't look suspicious to Hokage-sama_", I furrowed my brow slightly at the thought. I reached into my pouch and pulled out two pounds extra for each weight holder, "_This should slow me down. My other skills I will just have to restrain_." We all filed out of the academy and into a training ground located in a large clearing with random posts and places for different sparing and training.

"Okay", Iruka-sensei started to get our attention, "we will start with sparing! I will pair you and don't complain; I won't hear any of it."

Grumbling was heard here and there but no one openly complained. I noticed the determined look in Naruto's eyes. Iruka-sensei went down the list pairing everyone with someone. I was paired with a boy named Shino; who seemed very mysterious in my opinion. Naruto seemed very excited over his match with some kid named Sasuke. Around four teams went at once. I was in the fourth batch while sunshine (A/N **Naruto**) was in the third. When it was finally Naruto's turn I was eager to see what he could do. It was hard to see past all of the girls crowded around his spot and I had to push to the front. The Sasuke boy seemed very cool with plenty of cocky attitude and I soon realized that the girls were crowded their due to him. "_How pathetic; a kid like that would want nothing to do with girls who were so obviously infatuated with him_", I was disgusted by my fellow gender's behavior. I was extremely disappointed at the lack of strategy that Naruto could bring to the battle field; hoping that he would be stronger. Sasuke's style of fighting seemed a bit unique, "_He must be from a very prestigious clan with special fighting styles or something_", right on que Chinmoku flashed an image in my head of some clan called the Uchiha. Once their fight ended it was my turn to face off against a boy with a face that was for the most covered by a high necked jacket. We stood there starring at each other for a few minutes both calculating each other. He made the first move; raising his arm towards me as bugs began flowing out from his jacket arm. The swarm raced towards me but I disappeared and reappeared in a spot close behind Shino. "_I will have to use my speed to get around those bugs_", I observed. He came at me with his bugs again but this time I jumped into the air then pulled out some kunai I had threw it at him with medium speed and angled it in a way that it would miss him just by a little even without him dodging. I feigned a small amount of surprise when he quickly moved out of the kunai's range. I landed on my feet in a crouched position.

Something odd was building up inside; a feeling of feral instinct. "_I've never truly fought before… is this how it feels for me… because of Chinmoku_", I questioned myself in slight confusion. I could hear a crowd building near us. We went on like this for a while; dodging and attacking. I made sure that none of my attacks would even seem close to perfect and I repressed my instincts. I felt something crawling on my hand and remained emotionless on the outside but was shocked to see a small beetle on my hand just sitting there. This time when I dodged the bugs they followed me swarming towards my hand. "_Looks like I'll have to use the only special jutsu that I have ever learned from my clan_." I pursed my lips, made three hand signs, and pushed out a melody that was much too high frequency for any regular human to hear. Only insects, certain animals, and myself would be able to hear the sound.

My family had several sets of specialty jutsu's and one of them was melodies. Each song had a specific ability and none of them contained actual words. This particular one was something that Nii-san had taught me before I left. It was still very rusty and not at the top notch level that a Chunin might have it but it still did its job.

I heard a low groan from my left and noticed that Kiba was growling and gripping his head tightly while Akamaru laid with his front paws patting at his head. Naruto also seemed irritated though not as much as the wolf boy.

"What is that sound", Naruto complained.

"Argh! It's so loud! Make it stop! Argh", Kiba growled loudly as if trying to make his voice reach over something else.

Shikamaru looked at the two in confusion, "What are you two talking about?"

Kiba looked at the pony-tailed boy with a 'are you kidding me look', "You can't be serious?! You can't hear that?"

Shino's own bugs were reacting harshly; trying to get as far away from me as possible. The jutsu was already starting to drain me but I raised the frequency an octave higher in order to make the bugs retreat completely. Kiba called out in pain and Naruto pulled at his hair slightly with obvious discomfort and irritation. Shino himself was in turmoil and was shifting in constant discomfort.

"What… is this", his deep rough voice finally entering the area.

A pain was building in my chest at using the technique for so long, "_I need to end this now_." I finally reached an octave higher causing Kiba to crumple to his knees, Akamaru howled loudly, and Naruto now resembled how Kiba was in the beginning. I jumped into the air while still holding my melody then threw two kunai at the unbalanced Shino was thrown onto the ground and held there by the metal triangular knifes. I abruptly stopped the noise and landed showing absolutely no emotion. My body was in pain and I could taste the distinct flavor of irony blood in my mouth. While walking back to the crowd I noticed the intense stare I was receiving from Sasuke. Everyone else's eyes seemed to follow me as well. I walked up to Kiba and Akamaru with an apologetic look. I squatted down and pet behind Akamaru's ears then leaned down and placed my lips gently at the top of his head. I leaned into the dog's ear and pursed my lips once more before letting out a softer and soothing melody that calmed the dog. It was very soft for two reasons; one because I was chakra depleted and two because the melody itself was soft. I stood and then leaned into Kiba's ear playing the same melody to him to ease his aching headache and he relaxed immensely. The wolf boy looked at me with eyes of wonderment. All eyes were on me as I performed the action. I decided that Naruto was fine and cut the jutsu. I waited for the next participants to step up and when they did eyes were turned back to the fight. Only a few still lingered on me consisting of Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Akamaru (who was nudging my leg gently), Naruto, and Shino. Despite the few still watching me I slipped into the back of the crowd where I was paid minimal attention.

I finally let my body wretch as I coughed up blood and bile; the sound drowned out by other's sparring. The convulsing of my body was painful but not too much. Kiba instantly took notice of the scent of blood, it seemed, because he was at my side looking concerned very quickly. Soon after he arrived at my flank the blood stopped coming up and I stood up straight and looked at him and nodded sending him a message that I was okay. He scrunched his eyebrows at me in disbelief. "_Why does he care? We just met_", I was highly confused but didn't let it show. I simply waved it off and whipped the small blood smudge on my lip. The rest of training passed simply though I no longer needed the extra weight to slow me down after my performance. As soon as class was dismissed I was out of the door. I walked down the road by myself as the sun sunk low in the sky making the clouds a pretty purplish color. I felt a presence behind me and turned to find the Uchiha boy.

His glance was cool, "How did you do that earlier? I've never seen anything like that?"

I contemplated a good response before deciding to point to my villages' symbol sewed onto my shirt.

"Your clan? Where are you from; I've never seen a Konoha clan with that power", the boy stated suspiciously.

My eyes darkened though the rest of my face gave nothing away. My homeland no longer existed therefore I came from nowhere. Not even Jounin from this village knew about it; Gui-sensei had proved that.

Sasuke noticed the change in my demeanor, "You don't have a family do you?"

I shook my head, "_Not anymore_." I turned on my heel about to stalk off to my apartment when his voice stopped me again.

"Hold on! Would you spar with me sometimes; without holding back like you were with that other kid", he asked.

Knowing that he wouldn't see it; I smirked, "_So he knew I wasn't using all I had, but I did end up using that painful jutsu_." I only nodded in response to his request before shooting off back to my house. Once safely inside I let myself be overcome with exhaustion. I slipped off my ninja sandals then stumbled into my room. I fell face first into my pillow then groaned realizing that I had yet to remove my weights. I pulled my legs towards me and unstrapped them before gently setting them on the floor. I returned to my original position on the bed but knew that sleep wasn't going to come. Receiving sleep was quite the blessing so with how much of it I had gotten recently I just knew that I wasn't going to be so lucky tonight. I didn't move a single muscle for what must have been hours as the shining moon rose high into the sky.

I began contemplating just staying there until it was time to go back to the academy when my stomach made a loud argument that I couldn't refuse. As soon as I tried to get up I realized that plopping down like I did was a stupid idea; the blood had pooled in certain parts of my body due to lack of stretching and cool down. I waited for my numb limbs to become comfortable again before getting up. Despite my fatigue I didn't have my weights on so I still felt quick on my feet and ready to go to a race. "_Hmm what should I eat_", I had to admit it was nice to contemplate such simple things when your mind was usually racing with different amounts of information and thought, "_I think a cup of ramen; to lazy right now to do anything more_." I filled the little cup with boiling water just above the ramen and waited for the noodles to soften. I took out a pair of pretty black and red striped chopsticks and began silently sucking down my dinner. I let my mind wander to the events earlier in the day. "_Why did the dog boy look at me like that_", I scowled slightly. I didn't understand it; I had only just arrived at the school not to mention I had already hurt both he and his dog. Did he just not care? "_Then there is that Naruto boy… he is so much like me, yet not at all the same. Where does he get that sunny disposition? Even if he has not experienced the same tragedies as I; there is no way that he hasn't at least been shunned or ridiculed… we all have_." Being around the blonde made me want to befriend him at the same time I felt the urge to find where all his ambition and excitement came from. Finally there was the Uchiha. Why did he look so lonely and cold-hearted. Sure he was from a prestigious clan; bout to be a little smug but the pain in him was much too strong for it to be a simple superiority complex. "_Something must have happened to him to make him that way… not to mention… no one came to pick him up he was walking home_." Have his parents turned their backs on him, or maybe he just shuns his family, might even be that he is treated wrongly in his family. "_Hmm… I've got to know. I have to understand these things_!"

After finishing my small meal I placed the chopsticks in the sink to wash of later and threw away the styrafoam cup. The night sky looked inviting, "_Wanna take a trip outside Chimoku_?" The fox-wolf seemed to agree as I traveled outside. The night air was crisp yet comfortable. I walked through the village just wandering aimlessly. Finally I found myself at the edge of a clearing that I had not seen before; not with my own eyes nor through Chinmoku. There was a shiny stone with names etched into its black surface. A feeling of sadness entered me for a reason I could not fathom. It was obvious this was a memorial of some sort and I wondered what had happened. A presence appeared behind me and my whole body tensed.

**You like? So this is looking like it will be GaaraxOC without even a fight. Four votes are set on Gaara's side while none for Sasuke. Anyway, I'm already working on the next chapter and hope to post it sometime next weekend. I really hope you guys are enjoying this chapter. Btw guys everyone is a year older than her at the academy. She is six and they are seven (for the most part). I welcome any criticism or praise. Buh-Bye ~Kue**


	4. Training and Tests

**Kue: Hey there again! This time I brought some more reliable people to do the disclaimer.**

**Naruto: So I get to do it right?**

**Kue: There ar-**

**Kiba: What? That's not fair! I should get to do it since I'm way cooler!**

**Naruto: No way! I'm ten times cooler than you'll ever be dog breath!**

**Kiba: Psh! As if! I could beat you ten times over without even breaking a sweat!**

**Kue: Uh… guys…**

**Naruto: I dare you to try it!**

**Kue: *face palm* Why do I even try? Okay anyway I don't own Naruto and please enjoy this chapter.**

The figure emitted a soft chuckle that I vaguely recognized.

I felt a hand gently on my shoulder, "Good evening Shizue."

"_Hokage-sama_?" I relaxed but didn't look at the aged leader of the leaf village.

"I see I was not the only restless one this night", he commented. I could feel his eyes on me as he continued, "Don't be so sad over this stone."

I was quite frankly shocked, "_Do I really look that depressed just from being around these unknown names_?"

"It's okay. These are the names of the many shinobi who fought to protect our village seven years ago."

I looked up at him finally with a raised eyebrow in question to what they were fighting against.

"The nine tail fox", he replied simply. "_That demon inside Naruto_?!" Today was just full of surprises. "Kyuubi rampaged through the forest; destroying everything in its path. Our village happened to be in that path so we fought to defend our people. In the end it was the fourth Hokage who ultimately stopped and sealed away the beast."

My lips pulled back over my teeth slightly, "_Yeah… sealed it away inside of Naruto. An innocent child who did not deserve to be cursed in that way_."

Almost as if he were reading my mind, "Yes I know that it wasn't completely fair to seal it away inside of Naruto but it had to be done. It was the only way to save the village." The Hokage looked down with a bit of… shame? "The boy doesn't even know that the demon resides in him. He has been ridiculed all his life and he doesn't know why. Though I'm sure you completely understand this Shizue."

"_He knows my secret_", my eyes widened a bit.

"As the Hokage it is my job to know these things, young one. No one else but Kakashi knows of the beast within you", Hokage-sama turned to me now with a warm smile, "Shizue-chan I want you to become part of this village as if you were born here. That is my hope; that you will find a home here. I must go now. I would advise you to do the same."

With that he walked back towards the forest; disappearing in the shadows. "_A… home_", I wasn't sure if I even knew the meaning of the word anymore. All homes seemed to cave in on me in the most painful ways possible. I inhaled deeply to calm the feelings that had been disturbed in me. Letting out the breath I began on my way back to my apartment. It was a quiet walk and I arrived only an hour before the sun would rise. Still there was no chance of sleep so I wasted my time laying on my bed. When the time finally came I got ready and put my emotionless mask on then headed out of the door. This time when I got to the academy I was one of the first in the classroom. Slowly my peers trickled into the room. I was beginning to zone out when something small and fluffy pounced on me. It startled me so bad I fell back in my chair; hitting the floor.

At first I felt the instinct to jump up and pull out a weapon when I heard a small yip and labored breathing. I looked down at Akamaru who was standing on my chest wagging his tail. I wanted to laugh but settled on a small twitch of the lips and smiling with my eyes.

"Akamaru where did you go", I heard Kiba call from the entrance of the room.

His eyes landed on me and he laughed heavily, "Oh I see. He really does seem to like you."

I looked up at the wolf boy and nodded.

"Don't you ever talk", Kiba questioned with a frustrated look on his face.

The only response he received was a shake of the head.

He sighed deeply, "Oh well." Kiba reached out a hand for me to take and I gratefully accepted his help.

"We never got properly introduced yesterday; my name is Kiba. Your name is Shizue right?"

I nodded in approval and he smiled widely at me.

"You seem like a cool person even though you do have some strange habits. Wanna be friends?" I was somewhat shocked. His friendliness was not expected. Right as I was about to accept his offer a certain blonde haired Genin-in-training approached us.

"Like she would wanna be friends with you; dog breath", Naruto teased.

Kiba growled, "No one asked you loser."

Naruto ignored Kiba completely while holding out a peace sign to me, "You're my friend right Shizue?"

I only looked at them not letting anything show but inside I was laughing at their antics.

The heavy set boy from yesterday now entered the group, "She can have more than one friend guys."

Shikamaru had come along with the boy. "How troublesome", he sighed.

Our conversation would have continued except a bigger commotion (if that's even possible when Naruto is concerned) was ensuing on the other side of the room. It seemed the pinkette and a blonde fan girl were arguing over Sasuke. The fawning over Sasuke reminded me of his proposal from yesterday. I traveled over to the spot where the Uchiha sat and stood in front of him.

It seemed he already knew what I wanted to talk about, "I would like to start today directly after school."

The fan girls froze in mid insult to listen to what the boy was saying. I thought about his request for a moment then nodded.

"Good. Then meet me here", he handed me a slip of paper with directions to a clearing.

I folded the paper and slipped it into my pouch in time for the pinkette to make her way over to me and get right in my face.

"You're meeting with my Sasuke?" She seemed fairly angry.

I looked at her with cold eyes, "_This is so disgusting_."

"Aren't you going to answer her", the blonde was suddenly at my other side.

A feeling of threat seemed to trigger something in me. My cold look turned into a full out glare that seemed to frighten the girls. Tension filled the air between us three and I could feel Sasuke watching with interest. The air was so thick that you probably could have cut through it.

Naruto seemed a good diffuser because he came out of nowhere and slung his arm around the pinkette's shoulder, "Hey Sakura what's up?!"

An aggravated tick appeared on her forehead, "Baka!"

Sakura turned to the boy and punched him into the ground.

The blonde snickered, "I don't think Sasuke wants to be around such a brute like you; billboard brow."

The pink girl's rage was turned towards the blonde now, "Shut it Ino-pig! He wouldn't want someone as ugly as you either!"

I wasn't sure if Naruto had done it purposely but he had effectively set everything back to the way it was before. I returned to my seat where Kiba was waiting; the rest having returned to their business. The day passed easily and I was actually pretty excited to be sparing with Sasuke. I walked to the place he had indicated and found him already waiting.

"Okay you ready", he asked getting into a low stance. I nodded and he smirked, "Let's go!"

We shot towards each other; I hadn't taken off my regular weights purposely. None-the-less I was fast; too fast for him. He threw kunai in my direction but by the time the knifes reached my previous position I was almost right behind him. He moved just in time to get out of the way of my foot trying to pull his legs underneath him. Sasuke turned mid-air and made a few hand signs then puffed out his chest. I raised an eyebrow in a question that Chinmoku answered with an image of a giant fireball. The Uchiha blew the mass of flames at me and I only had a second to dodge. Much of the training went like this. We trained until the sun was almost completely hidden by the horizon. I was satisfied with my sparring partner; I had to admit that Sasuke was very good.

**~Time Skip~**

The next five years had passed well. Kiba became my closest friend; we were almost always in sync. I also made friends with Naruto, Choji, Shikamaru, Shino (who seemed to have a certain amount of respect for me since our first spar), Sasuke, and even a little bit with Hinata. Unfortunately for her though; I had quite a loathing for Sakura due to her constant ramblings about Sasuke. There was one thing I was proud of though; I had trained myself to pick up on single chakra signals to play my melody for. This means that I could pick out who I wanted my jutsu to affect. Today we would participate in the Genin tests that every one of us was waiting anxiously for. I knew I was ready but I couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

I was honestly surprised that I was able to make friends with the people that I did; I was practically a mute and didn't let my emotions slip through to the surface. My behavior was fairly shut in and often cold so I didn't understand why such crazy outgoing people would befriend me. After a while though I stopped questioning it and just took comfort knowing that I had people to back me up. Speaking of friends; I was currently being greeted by Akamaru with happy yips and getting licked in the face. As far as I could tell; I was the only one other than Kiba that Akamaru treated like that.

"Hey Shizue", my best friend greeted.

I waved at him as he made his way over to my desk. I raised an eyebrow with a somewhat teasing look in my eyes; asking him if he was ready for the test.

He pumped his fist in the air, "Of course I'm ready!"

My lips twitched upward in a tiny smile at his upbeat attitude.

After everyone got to the class we began. The first exam was on hand signs; which was basic and I didn't quite see the point in testing us on it but guessed there had to be a good reason for it. The second exam was a written one; that too was fairly easy but then again I had Chinmoku on my side. Finally we came to the last exam.

"For the final exam we will be testing your clone jutsu. I want you all to wait in the hall for me to call you in to perform the technique", Iruka announced.

I noticed the distressed look that had been placed on Naruto's face. I truly felt for him; this would be his third time trying and I can't imagine how frustrating it must be. We did as we were told and each name was called one by one depending on the sir name. I watched as Kiba gave me a thumbs up while he passed by with his headband held tight. When I was called in I walked with confidence and made sure to dissipate any remaining jitters. Iruka and Mizuka greeted me with friendly smiles and I felt at ease. I stood before them and concentrated my chakra coupled with the correct hand sign, "_Clone jutsu_." Four other flawless Shizues stood on my flanks.

"Congratulations", Iruka held out a head band for me and I felt a surge of accomplishment.

I took the head band but decided I would wait to put it on. There was triumph in my heart as I traveled to the front of the school where everyone was hanging out; waiting for the rest of the class to be finished or getting picked up by their parents. After a while Naruto emerged from the academy with a depressed look. He was letting his mask slip as he settled on a tree swing in the courtyard of the school. I could hear the whisperings of the children that watched him, "_What right do they have to judge him?! It isn't his fault that he was cursed with the nine tails_!" I couldn't stand the awful things they were saying; I shoved past them and gave them a feral glare while I walked by. Naruto saw me coming towards him but he seemed too beat to try and act happy. I stood in front of the blonde and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Instead of heading straight home like I usually would; I waited with Naruto until the others had all left. I knew what it was like just sitting there and watching all those joyful families walking together while you had nothing. The silence was not uncomfortable but it did concern me that he wasn't saying a thing. Eventually I gave him a nod and then left for my apartment.

The whole way there I had a feeling that something not quite right was going to happen to Naruto. It worried me; I didn't like people picking on Naruto's weaknesses or calling him names. We are very different people but we share some of the most important and basic hardships. "_No… I have to be confident in him. Whatever happens I'm sure he will stick to what is right and make it through it_", I concluded. I only quickly stopped by my home so that I could grab a canteen of water to take with me before I went to my usual spot for training. The area was exclusively for me since no one else had found it; I had planted a Tsuki Hana in the spot every year on my birthday. None of them lasted as long as I wished that they would but I knew it was because Konoha didn't have the required circumstances under which the beautiful flowers would survive.

I set to work warming up with basic target practice, sprinting, and gathering my chakra. After that I started to practice with the new jutsu that Chinmoku had been helping me develop. I had learned from Chinmoku that my affinity (partially thanks to him) was earth and fire. For my village though; the earth affinity was special. Unlike its regular jutsu our earth affinities do not focus on the use of mud, dirt, and clay. Instead it focuses on plants and roots. I could manipulate the existing plants around me as well as enhance my ability and create new plants with the use of seeds. I trained with my newest technique till I was forced to stop by a lack of chakra. The truth was that I had yet to tap into Chinmoku's chakra. No matter what our bond it didn't change the fact that extreme circumstances had to be net for me to break through that barrier.

When I got home I actually managed to receive two hours of peaceful sleep. When I woke the sun was beginning to peek into the sky; its violet orange fingers stretching out over the horizon. I jumped up and took a heated bath then went to my closet. I dressed in my usual attire and clasped my snake scale necklace around my neck. I spent a while deciding where my head band would reside. Eventually I settled on tying it tightly around my thigh; just below my tan leather pouch. By the time I had prepared myself a bento box with lunch it was time to head to the orientation. I sprinted out of the door with excitement coursing through my being. I was the third person to arrive to the classroom. Taking my usual seat; I watched the door intently for the rest of the students to arrive along with Iruka-sensei. My eyes widened when I noticed a head of familiar blonde hair walking through the door. The knucklehead had a cheesy grin on his face and I noticed that in place of his goggles he wore on his forehead was a leaf shinobi headband. "_How did he_...", I questioned in amazement and confusion. Naruto silently sat in his seat with that same grin and I couldn't help feeling happy for him. As soon as Sasuke arrived the girls were fawning over him like moths to a bright light. I could see the growing agitation that Naruto had towards all the attention the raven haired boy was receiving. I raised an eyebrow as he moved to squat down in front of the Uchiha, "_That's a very dangerous position to be in_." As if to prove my point a boy knocked Naruto forward while he was busy with his glaring contest and caused the boys' lips to meet. The sight made heat rise to my face slightly; it was an embarrassing situation. I noticed the way that the girls were cracking their knuckles, "_Oh no they don't_!"

I appeared in front of them before they could make a move to hurt the blonde fox and gave them an effective glare. Once I was sure they wouldn't lay a hand on Naruto I returned to my seat; settling in next to Kiba as Akamaru made himself comfortable in my lap. "_It's almost like clockwork_", I thought a little exasperated as Iruka-sensei entered the class room. He seemed pleased about something and I could only guess it was about Naruto's promotion. Iruka explained that he would be splitting us up into teams and I heard bits and pieces of hopes that some of my peers had for their possible partners. Almost every kunoichi was eyeing Sasuke like he was a prized toy. Each team was called off one by one and I wondered who would be the team of four.

"Now squad seven", Iruka-sensei began, "Naruto Uzumaki… Sakura Hurano", Naruto fist pumped in triumph while the pinkette face planted on her desk, "Sasuke Uchiha", now the positions were switched, "and finally Shizue Kuroki."

Naruto's spirits seemed to lift, Sasuke seemed a bit more interested, and Sakura went back to face planting. I was conflicted with being happy and disappointed. I had somewhat hoped that I would end up on a team with Kiba; he was the closest friend I had and I knew we would work together well in a battle. On the other hand I was excited to be working with Sasuke and Naruto despite the banshee fangirl. Iruka-sensei finished his list of teams then told us each to get together after lunch and wait for our new sensei's. I decided to leave campus for lunch and wandered the grounds; enjoying the breeze that settled in and the clear blue that painted the heavens. It was relaxing. That is; it was relaxing until I came upon Sasuke and Sakura sitting on a bench doing who-knows-what. Something seemed off about the way Sasuke was speaking and moving. I decided to hide in the trees and watch the scene unfold. The raven haired boy seemed to be… flirting with Sakura. "_No that's not right at all; he practically loathes that banshee_", my brow furrowed in confusion. Then I began to catch on, "_Very sneaky Naruto_." The two were so close to kissing when it seemed the disguised blonde was having some trouble with something and he ran off. Only moments later a Sasuke returned, but this one was much more Sasuke, "_He must have escaped whatever trap Naruto had set for him_", I thought with a small smirk. Immediately the pinkette tried to approach the real Sasuke only to be ignored. The whole thing was quite amusing and would have stayed that way if the girl hadn't opened her mouth.

"Where's Naruto?" The Uchiha questioned harshly.

"There you go changing the subject again", Sakura replied a bit sheepish, "Why does it matter? He only ever gets in fights with you anyway. Ya know why he's so annoying? It's cause he wasn't raised right! He didn't have any parents to tell him how to act." My blood began boiling at her words and I could see the glare Sasuke was sending her but she just kept talking, "Think about it! He just does whatever he wants without a second thought! If I did that I would be punished like crazy, but he doesn't have that kind of discipline in his life", then she said; with a cheery voice; words that made me want to tear out her vocal cords, "He's selfish, annoying, and bratty. He's all alone."

Sasuke read my mind, "Alone. Isolated. It's not about having someone to tell you right from wrong. You don't even know the definition of 'alone'. How could you ever understand?"

"Why are you saying that", the banshee seemed taken aback.

"Because… you're annoying."

I wanted to jump from my hiding spot and hug the life out of Sasuke at that moment. Sakura's face in that moment was absolutely priceless. I left the girl to her turmoil and went back to the class room to wait for my teammates. I wasn't especially hungry so in the mean time I just munched on some special Pocky I had brought with me that was glazed with wasabi over the regular chocolate topping. Once everyone had arrived back we began our wait for our sensei.

So we waited… and waited… and waited some more. Before long we were the only ones left in the room. After a while Naruto occupied himself with restlessly looking down the hallway for our sensei. Sakura was trying to urge him to sit down while Sasuke laid with his head on his hands and a very bored expression. I only watched on while imagining who our sensei might be or what he might look like. "_I swear if it's Gui-sensei I will kill myself_", I thought with a shiver. The sound of wood bumping against wood drew me away from my thoughts as I observed Naruto setting a rather silly trap for our new sensei.

"That's what they get for coming late", he exclaimed brightly.

"Naruto you shouldn't do that", the pinkette stated but I could see the excited gleam in her eyes. Pft.

Sasuke looked at them with the same bored expression, "Our sensei is a Jounin; they won't fall for a stupid trick like that."

I only decided to stand by and wait for the outcome. Almost immediately a hand popped through the tiny crack in the door. Everyone tensed as the wooden door was slid open and the eraser hit the Jounin on the head. I instantly recognized the silver hair and covered face, "_Kakashi-sensei_?"

"HA! He totally fell for it", Naruto shouted triumphantly.

Kakashi leaned down and picked up the fallen board eraser. He looked up at us, "Hmm… let me see. My first impression of this group… you're a bunch of idiots."

My teammates seemed to have a gloom cloud hanging above them though I was rather unaffected by his words, "_I'm anything but an idiot_." He took us to the roof and had us sit in a row while he sat in front of us on the rail.

"Okay; how about you introduce yourselves", he prompted us.

"Introduce ourselves? How?" The pinkette could be so annoying.

Kakashi-sensei paused for a minute, "Things you like, things you don't like or hate, goals for the future, hobbies, something along those lines."

"Why don't you start off, so we can get the hang of it and all", Naruto suggested.

"Hmm… okay. Well, I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate… I don't feel like telling you that. I haven't really given much thought to future goals. As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies", he concluded. "Now your turn; let's start with you on the right."

"My names Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen in a cup and I love Ichiraku's ramen especially when Iruka-sensei gets it for me. I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the hot water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different types of ramen then comparing them. My dream is to become the greatest Hokage; then the whole village with treat me like someone important and respect me! Believe it!"

"Next", Kakashi prompted for the banshee.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like… I mean the person I like…", she blushed heavily. "_Ugh. Disgusting_", I narrowed my eyes at her as she continued. "My hobby is…", she giggled, "My dream for the future is…", she finished with an annoying squeal of idiocy.

"And what do you hate?"

"Naruto", she exclaimed loudly. I felt bad for the love-sick blonde.

"Okay moving on", he stated then looked at Sasuke.

He still had his hands under his chin giving off a 'tough guy' look. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are a lot of things I hate and there isn't anything I particularly like. I don't have dream or a goal because I already know it will be reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain… someone."

Kakashi-sensei seemed completely un-phased, "I see and lastly you."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "_Does he really expect me to speak_."

"Don't pretend you can't speak. I know you can", the silver haired ninja probed.

The others looked on in slight amazement as I stared down Kakashi-sensei feeling thoroughly annoyed. "_This is what I get for talking to him once_", I scolded myself. After three minutes of tense silence Naruto seemed to catch on to something.

"Wait… how do you know she can talk?!" His loud voice distracted Kakashi-sensei from our staring contest.

"Yeah! We've never heard her speak; not even once", Sakura commented with a bit of confusion.

"Hn", Sasuke agreed.

I could tell that the Jounin was slightly annoyed at being distracted but he smiled behind his mask none-the-less, "Because I've heard her before."

"WHA-", Naruto exclaimed.

"So you knew her before now", the banshee questioned.

Kakashi-sensei only nodded. He turned back to me but I only stared at him with my expressionless mask; refusing to speak a single word. He sighed deeply in defeat.

"I guess I'm not going to get anything out of you…", he trailed off. "Alright well it seems that you are each unique and have your own ideas. Our first mission will take place tomorrow!"

"What kinda mission", Naruto asked excitedly.

"It's a task the five of us will do together", Kakashi-sensei stated vaguely.

The blonde got even more excited (if that's possible), "What? What?! What?! WHAT?!"

"A survival exercise", the silver haired ninja finally stated.

"Huh?! Survival exercise", Naruto deflated.

"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission; not more practice", Sakura complained.

Kakashi-sensei narrowed his eye slightly, "This is not like your previous training."

"So what kind is it then", fox boy jumped in again.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled darkly in response.

"Hey hold on! That's a normal question; what's so funny?" The banshee sounded frustrated.

"Well… if I tell you the answer you're not going to like it", he stated cryptically. "_I r0emember him being a bit more straight forward than this… he's just trying to play with us_", I was growing tired of this 'beating around the bush' game. Naruto made a confused sound and finally Kakashi-sensei told us, "Of the twenty seven graduates that came here only nine will be accepted the other eighteen will be sent back to the academy. In other words; this is a make it, or break it, pass, fail test and you only have a thirty-three percent chance of passing." We all seemed a little down trodden. "See didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"

"That's crazy! We worked our butts off to get where we are! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?!" Kami Naruto could be so loud sometimes.

"That was just to get rid of the absolutely hopeless cases", Kakashi-sensei stated casually.

"What?!"

"That's how it is. I decide whether you pass or fail", he continued. "Be at the designated training spot at five am. Bring your ninja gear. That's it your dismissed. Oh and tomorrow don't eat anything; wouldn't want you getting sick during the test."

Everyone seemed completely lost in thought; including myself. Something he had mentioned slightly bothered me; I couldn't think of a goal for my future. I had never really considered it. "_What is my purpose here_?" Even the banshee had something even if it was a stupid ambition. I thought about it the whole way home. I was almost to the apartment when I made the last minute decision to go to my usual training grounds. When I got there I noticed the withered petals of past Tsuki Hanas I had kept in a jar. I squatted down in front of them and looked at them closely; my golden eyes softening. "_I know what I want to do_", I concluded with peace. I stayed there a little while longer; content with watching the clouds. "_Been hanging out with Shikamaru too much_", I laughed at myself. When darkness started to spread I got up headed to my place.

Not bothering with eating; I went to my bed and laid down on my back. I felt my eyelids unusually heavy. They fell closed and I was drawn into a familiar tattered house. Without thinking about it I walked into the correct room and slipped through the cage bars. Chinmoku greeted me with a silent nod. I wrapped myself in his fur, "_You must be in a good mood to let me do this so willingly. I usually have to coax you into it_." He glowered at my teasing. The wolf-fox was the only being that I could be this light hearted with; if you could call it that. "_You should be proud. I've found a purpose and I've also been put in a team. I'm confident that I'll be keeping this headband_", I stated seriously. Chinmoku sighed and finally stopped his glaring. I stayed with him for a while and his body relaxed as well as my own. He stared at the cage bars thinking I wouldn't notice but I did; I wasn't that oblivious. I knew that he wanted out and at times I had the urge to rip away the seal that stopped him just so I could please him, but I knew that despite his friendly attitude towards me that he was still a demon and though he was patient that he was still blood thirsty. I could feel it when he would get especially restless; it would happen occasionally when I became overly agitated or enraged. If I were to allow equal control over my body then every time my emotions encouraged his instinctual nature then Chinmoku would attack.

I was snapped out of my sympathetic thoughts when my demon nudged me lightly; signaling that it was time to go. I frowned a little; it had been a long time since I had gotten to come to the tattered house and I was somewhat disappointed I wouldn't get to stay longer. Faintly I felt a tug on my body and knew that I was close to being woken up. I detached from Chinmoku's fur and walked out of the cage; letting myself be sucked back into consciousness. A dull gray light graced my room. Judging by the sky I had woken up just in time to wash up and head to the clearing we were supposed to meet at. I arrived there just as the others did. Naruto was yawning; he has never been a morning person. Sasuke looked just as uninterested as ever though if you looked close enough you could see the dark tinted skin underneath his eyes that told of fatigue and Sakura was attempting to clear the sleep out of her eyes. It was somewhat entertaining to see how they were when they lacked proper sleep. I knew that I looked the same as ever; expressionless and fully alert.

We waited for close to three hours when the sun had risen high making the world bright again. I had to say that I was fairly irritated; if I had known that Kakashi-sensei was going to be this late then I would have spent more time in the recesses of my mind with Chinmoku. Naruto had seemed to nod off a while back, the banshee was holding her knees to her chest and looked close to ending up just like the blonde, and Sasuke still stood at with a bored look though he kept shifting as if to stay fully awake. I heard footsteps to my left and looked over just in time to see Kakashi-sensei coming our way while waving a hand in greeting.

"Morning everyone; ready for your first day", he greeted cheerfully.

"Hey your late", Naruto and Sakura shouted accusingly at the same time.

The Jounin pointed to nowhere in particular, "Well a black cat crossed my path so I had to take a different route."

A small tick appeared on my forehead though nothing else gave away my want to strangle our sensei. I could feel the Uchiha's anger as well and the other two growled at Kakashi.

"Let's get started", Kakashi-sensei said as if he hadn't just royally pissed everyone here off. He walked over to a stump and set down a timer while we all watched with curiosity, "Here we go. It will go off at noon." A small jingle rang out as three bells appeared in his hand, "All you have to do is get these bells. If you can't retrieve them by noon than you don't get any lunch."

I narrowed my eyes, "_That's why he didn't want us to eat anything. Slick move. I didn't even get any dinner_", I inwardly groaned.

"Wha?!" Naruto exclaimed seemingly outraged.

"You will be tied to that post and watch as I eat my own lunch", the silver haired ninja continued.

My teammates looked seemed in dismay and I heard their stomachs make odd noises in protest. "Wait a minute", the banshee spoke up, "how come there are only three bells?"

"Well that way no matter what you do one of you is going to be tied to a post _and_ sent back to the academy", Kakashi-sensei replied with a friendly eye-smile, "Then again… I guess it's possible all four of you could end up flunking out. You may use any weapons you like and you must come at me with the intent to kill or else you will most definitely fail."

"But that's dangerous sensei", Sakura objected loudly.

Naruto laughed heartily, "'Specially since you couldn't even dodge my eraser prank!"

Kakashi-sensei completely ignored their warning and instead began to provoke Naruto, "Class clowns are usually the weak link in any team. You can fully ignore them because they have low scores. Complete losers." The blonde's demeanor drastically changed but our sensei continued anyway, "When I say 'go' then the test will begin."

Naruto's temper got the best of him as he attempted to attack Kakashi-sensei. I stepped back from my spot as I watched Kakashi-sensei shift his weight. The Jounin appeared behind Naruto holding the blonde's own kunai to the base of his neck.

"Don't be in such a hurry", our sensei advised sternly, "I didn't say 'go' yet. You did come at me with the correct intensions so I guess… I think I'm starting to like you guys."

The other three seemed to assess Kakashi-sensei a bit more seriously with small smirks on their faces over his comment.

"Okay… ready…. Go!"

Everyone shot off in different directions. I took low ground beneath some think bushes next to an enormous tree that I could easily scale if I needed to. I noticed Sakura had hidden low like me though her position wasn't the best it also wasn't the worst. Sasuke had taken mid-ground in a low tree; he was well hidden. The only person I couldn't find was Naruto.

"Ninja must be able to conceal their movements and hide effectively", Kakashi-sensei's voice filled the clearing.

I realized why I hadn't been able to find Naruto, "You and me; right now! Fair and square", he shouted.

I had the urge to face palm at his blatant arrogance and naivety, but resisted. It seemed the others were just as surprised; and in Sasuke's case irritated, as I. Kakashi-sensei himself seemed highly confused as he tilted his head and looked at the knucklehead ninja.

"You know compared to the others you are a little odd", he stated. "_No kidding_", I commented to myself feeling embarrassed just looking at the blonde's actions.

"Oh yeah? Well the only thing that's odd here is your hair cut", Naruto retorted then proceeded to charge towards our sensei.

This time I really did silently thump my head against the ground. I looked up again when I heard Kakashi's voice and felt a blood rushing to my forehead where I had made impact with the dry soil.

"Shinobi battle techniques: part 1; taijutsu. The physical part", he said this while reaching into his brown grey leather pouch and I wondered what he could possibly be retrieving if he planned to fight with taijutsu.

"What the-", Naruto's eyes widened in confusion as Kakashi-sensei pulled out a book. I took a closer look at the book and was somewhat confused before an image from Chinmoku flashed in my mind. I sweat dropped, "_What a pervert_."

**I hope you guys liked my new chapter! Just so you know there is going to be light Sakura bashing because I really don't like her but I'm trying to keep it to a minimum. I'm really happy for all the reviews and favorites and follows I've received. Every time I look at my gmail and see that somebody else liked my story I get all smiley! Anyway I hope to update again next weekend at the latest or maybe by Monday if I can manage to write the next chapter in that time! Guys please remember to vote; we still have a few chapters before the romance is set on a definite line. I can't wait to read any critics or praises you all have for me! Buh-Bye ~Kue **


	5. A Twisting Feeling

**Kue: Hey guys; this time I only brought Kiba!**

**Kiba: Yeah as long as we weren't followed…**

**Kue: Who would follow us?**

**Naruto: *burst in* HEY! You were gonna do the disclaimer without me?!**

**Kue: Oh no…**

**Kiba: Get over it Naruto.**

**Naruto: But I wanna do it!**

**Kiba: Too bad is she wanted you to do it she would have asked you. *sneer***

**Naruto: Well the jokes on you cause it won't matter if I can do it before you can!**

**Kiba: Wha- No!**

**Kiba and Naruto: Kuesuno doesn't own Naruto!**

"Well? What are you waiting for? Make a move", Kakashi-sensei prompted.

"But- I mean... why are you reading a book?" Naruto was completely thrown off.

Without looking up; "Why? To find out what happens in the story; of course", he made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't worry about it… with your weak attacks it won't matter what I'm doing."

"I'm going to crush you", Naruto cried. "_If you let all our enemies anger you like that we will have a hard time completing missions_", I wished so dearly that the blonde could see that.

Kakashi-sensei dodged and stopped his attacks easily and right as fox boy was sure he had the Jounin; Kakashi flipped to the side and behind Naruto. The movement was almost too fast to follow even for me, "Don't let your enemy get behind you", Kakashi-sensei informed. Our sensei made a hand sign that much resembled that of the tiger but he still had his book held between his hands.

I heard Sakura call out, "Naruto get out of there quick! He's going to destroy you!" "_Foolish girl; now you've given away your position_", even if I was wrong and that was a complete fire-style hand sign he surely wasn't allowed to slaughter a Genin.

"Too late", Kakashi-sensei muttered, "Leaf village secret finger jutsu: one thousand years of death!"

"_Why did he have to be my sensei_", I complained as I once again silently face planted. I wanted to cry for the idiocy I had been stuck with. My other two teammates seemed just as disappointed at the antics of Kakashi-sensei and Naruto. The blonde himself shot into the air and landed in the water while Kakashi-sensei watched with a semi-bored expression.

"Okay… where was I", he opened his book again and continued reading.

Two shuriken shot out of the water towards our sensei, "_Smooth_." Or at least it would have been smooth if Kakashi-sensei didn't catch them without even looking in the direction of the sharp items. Naruto crawled onto land clearly out of breath.

"You look kind of pathetic for someone who is going surpass the Hokage", Kakashi-sensei commented.

A low growl came from Naruto's mid-section, "You told us not to eat breakfast! How can I possibly win while I'm starving to death?!" From my other two sides I heard muffled stomach growls that more than likely originated from my teammates and my own abdomen decided to chime in but it couldn't be heard over Naruto's continued complaining, "So you caught me off guard that's all it was. Believe it! I'm so hungry but that won't stop me. Somehow I'll find a way to get one of those bells and eventually become Hokage! I will become a ninja."

Like they were waiting for that signal; several Naruto clones popped out of the water and shot towards Kakashi-sensei. I couldn't believe that somehow my blonde friend had managed to make that many clones; it had been his worst jutsu. "_Wait what did he say? Shadow clones? No way; that's a really high level jutsu. Especially for someone who couldn't even make regular clones_", I smirked inwardly, "_Nice job Naruto. That must have been how you passed_." Kakashi-sensei seemed to assess the clones closely.

"I doubt you can hold those clones for very long", he finally stated, "You talk like you're the best but you are still the worst student Naruto. You can't beat me with this jutsu." I watched one of the Naruto's branch off but sensei didn't seem to notice and now he was caught by the blonde from behind. "What?! He got me from behind!"

"Didn't you say not to let your enemies get behind you? Good advice sensei; believe it!" Naruto chuckled triumphantly as all his clones piled onto Kakashi-sensei and one jumped up with his fist pulled back, "Now this is for nailing me in the butt earlier! You're mine and so are those bells!"

The only problem was as soon as the hit landed Kakashi-sensei turned into one of Naruto's clones. They began fighting over who the real one was then released the jutsu. It seemed Kakashi had performed as substitution jutsu. A glimmer caught my eye and I noticed a small trip wire by a tree. When I looked closer I also saw the bell laying there glinting in the sun and a rope laying only a few inches away from it. Of course Naruto fell for it. Kakashi-sensei appeared again and picked up the bell.

"If the bait is obvious… don't take it", he stated cheerily, "A ninja must see through deception."

"I… get… it", Naruto grunted.

"I'm telling you this because you _don't _get it", Kakashi-sensei stated, "You think you get it but that's nowhere near the same."

Shuriken and kunai came from Sasuke's position and planted themselves in the Jounin's body while he was lecturing Naruto. "_Does he really think it will be that easy to catch Kakashi-sensei off guard_", I questioned a bit irritably.

Naruto's eyes went wide, "Are you out of your mind Sasuke? You went too far!"

A puff of smoke rose and in place of Kakashi-sensei was a log. Sasuke went on the move to get away from his now revealed position. I didn't feel the Jounin's presence anymore so I decided to come out of hiding. I threw a kunai at the rope still on the ground and then the one that tied Naruto to the tree and he landed back on the ground with a hard thud. I heard Sakura's banshee shriek from somewhere not far off, "_Looks like Kakashi-sensei got to her. We need to work together or else we won't be able to defeat him, it seems_." Naruto was behind me grumbling about something and I turned to him. I snapped my fingers in front of his face to get his attention. He looked at me and I squatted down and pointed for him to follow my example. He did; with curiosity scrawled across his face. I picked up my fallen kunai and began digging into the ground my plan to get the bells. Once I had finished explaining my plan I looked for Sasuke's chakra signal. I recognized it not too far off and I felt a sudden spike, "_His fireball jutsu_." Then I felt a spike from Kakashi's chakra as well. "_He must have beat Sasuke. That means it's go time_." I gave Naruto the thumbs up to get into position.

I hid in the tree that was behind the stone and watched as the blonde sat with the bento boxes and acted out what I had instructed him to do. Just as I suspected Kakashi-sensei appeared behind Naruto with a cheery eye-smile.

"Hi there", he greeted.

"I was just joking sensei", Naruto stated as if he had been caught red-handed.

"Nice try", Kakashi joked.

"_Now's my chance; time to test this jutsu on the real thing_", I made a few hand signs, "_Flaming thorn prison jutsu_!" Roots with sharp thorns shot out of the ground at high speed and trapped Kakashi-sensei before he could move away. I jumped down from the tree and sprinted towards him; when I thought I was close enough I released the jutsu while Naruto jumped onto his back; I lunged for the bells. "_I've got them_", I thought as my hand had almost reached the silver bells. Just then the alarm rang out and threw off my focus. Kakashi-sensei threw Naruto off and pushed me to the side and I landed on my butt, "_No! They were right at my fingertips_." I sat there extremely frustrated as the silver haired ninja tied Naruto to one of the posts and Sakura and Sasuke arrived.

"Okay well about this exercise; the three of you", he pointed to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, "Aren't going to have to go back to the academy."

"_What? No that can't be. I was so close to those bells and none of them could have done better than that since he still had three when I lunged for him_!" Naruto seemed a mix of sympathetic and excitement, Sasuke scowled slightly though I couldn't tell why, and Sakura seemed a being of pure triumph.

"Then… then that means the three of us-", Naruto began while Sakura jumped up and down happily.

"Yes… that means the three of you are being dropped from the program", he stated deadly serious, "Permanently."

"What?! You said that if we didn't get the bells then we would be sent back! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that", fox boy shouted.

Kakashi-sensei placed his hands on his hips, "Because you don't think like ninja. You think like spoiled brats." Sasuke looked like he had been pushed over the edge while he charged at our sensei only to be sat on, "You think it's all about you."

"Let go of Sasuke-kun; you can't step on him like a bug", Sakura shouted like a maniac.

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You treat it like a game. Why did you think we put you on squads? You never realized what is important in this exercise."

"What's important", Naruto sounded confused.

"Yes. That's what determines whether you pass or fail."

"But that's- I mean I wanted to ask you that from the beginning", Sakura shrank a little into herself. "_Yeah right_."

"Tck. Use your head! There are four people on this team. Why do you think we would put more than one person?" Kakashi-sensei had growing irritation in his voice.

Naruto's shouting wasn't helping it, "Ah! How are we supposed to know? Not like we made the rules!"

"It's so basic. Teamwork", he finally stated. "It's too late now, but if all four of you had come at me then you may have been able to grab the bells."

"But you set it up where there were only three bells for four people. If we worked together then only three of us would have been able to keep them. That would lead to conflict and cause the squad to break up", Sakura exclaimed defiantly.

"I wanted to see if you could overcome your selfish need to win and put the squad ahead of yourselves. Sakura! You obsessed over Sasuke even though he was gone while Naruto was in danger right in front of you. Naruto! You do everything on your own. Everything. Sasuke! You thought the others were so far beneath you that they weren't worth your time", Kakashi-sensei turned towards me, "The only one of you who even had an inkling was Shizue. Shizue; even though you did figure it out you still only realized it about half-way through and only managed to assemble Naruto so even though you eventually got the point you should have thought of this near the beginning. Ninja missions are carried out in teams! You _do_ need individual skills but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi knows this. When individuals put themselves over the squad it leads to failure and death.

"For example; Sakura", he pulled out a kunai, "kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies! That's what happens on a mission. The enemy takes a hostage and you have to make a choice. Someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line." Kakashi-sensei got up and walked towards the black stone that I recognized from so long ago, "Did you look at this stone? The names engraved on it? They are all ninja who are honored as hero's in our village."

"That's it! I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone. I'm gonna be a hero", Naruto shouted out. "_Naruto you are such an idiot sometimes_."

"They are… a special kind of hero", Kakashi-sensei stated solemnly.

"Huh? What kind of hero's then?"

Kakashi-sensei paused, "They're all… KIA."

"Ooh that sounds real cool", this was starting to get pathetic.

"It means 'killed in action'", Sakura stated to Naruto.

Realization dawned on the blonde's face, "_Baka_." "This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here", Kakashi-sensei spoke again, "Alright… you get one more chance to pass, but it's going to be much tougher! You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to regain your strength, but don't give Naruto a single bite. If anyone tries to feed him then that person immediately fails."

Our sensei walked off to leave us to our meals. I opened my box; it was one of those rare times when I hadn't spiced up my meal due to a lack of ingredients. I took a bite of it and winced slightly at the bland taste. Naruto's stomach groaned loudly. "_Maybe I should give most of my food to him. It's not like I want it anyway and Kakashi-sensei's chakra is practically gone so he must be out of range_."

"No big deal! I can do this! I can go without eating for days… for weeks. Believe it", the blonde sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than us.

I sighed deeply and crawled over to Naruto. I saw Sasuke moving towards him at the same time as I was. "_Hmm… guess he got the same idea_." I pulled out some rice and meat from the box with my chopsticks and held it in front of Naruto's face.

Sasuke held his own box out to Naruto as well, "Here."

"Shizue, Sasuke-kun you can't do that! You heard what Kakashi-sensei said", Sakura exclaimed.

"Kakashi's gone. We need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto is hungry he will just drag us down. That can jeopardize the mission", the Uchiha stated and I nodded in agreement.

Sakura seemed to contemplate her idol's words before holding out her box as well. Naruto's eyes were the size of dinner plates, "Thanks", he muttered.

"Don't thank us just hurry up and eat", the banshee replied; one of her rare likeable moments.

I held my own chopsticks a little closer signaling for him to eat the food in between them. "But it's your food", Naruto protested though I could tell he really wanted to eat it. I didn't give any sort of response.

Deciding that meant I didn't care; he nodded and took a bite with a small grin on his face. An explosion of smoke drew our attention and Kakashi's chakra signal appeared once more, "_Where did he come from_?"

"You! You broke the rules", Kakashi-sensei stated in a deadly tone, "I hope you're ready for the punishment." He made a few hand signs and dark storm clouds rolled in above us, "Any last words?"

"But you said-", Naruto began shakily.

"Yes?"

Gaining courage fox boy shouted out, "You said there were four of us! That's what you said and that's why Shizue and…"

"We're all on this squad and we're all in it together", Sasuke joined in.

I gave a curt nod in agreement then Sakura jumped in as well, "Yeah! We gave our lunch to him because the four of us are one!"

"The four of you are one? That's what your excuse", the Jounin questioned while staring us down.

My gaze didn't waver and the others continued to look at him with determination. Kakashi-sensei's expression lightened and he smiled behind his mask, "You pass!"

"Huh", Sakura and Naruto were utterly confused.

"You… pass."

"What do ya mean? How'd we pass", that banshee couldn't accept anything.

"You're the first squad that has succeeded; the others did exactly as I told them and fell for every trap", a hint of gratefulness laced Kakashi-sensei's words, "They couldn't think for themselves. In the ninja world; those who break the rules are scum _but_ those who would leave behind their friends are worse than scum."

Naruto had tears in his eyes, "He's uh… he's kinda cool."

"The exercise is over. Everyone passed! You're first mission starts tomorrow", Kakashi-sensei gave us a huge thumbs up.

"Yes", Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke had a smirk on his face and Naruto was yelling, "I did it! Believe it! I'm a ninja now!"

"Let's go home", Kakashi-sensei stated as he began to walk off.

They all began walking off and I wanted to laugh at how they were going to leave Naruto there. Instead I turned and cut away his ropes, "Thanks Shizue!"

I only nodded and began walking to my apartment.

**~Time skip to the cat mission~**

A bit of static rang in my ear, "Sasuke; I'm at point 'b'."

"Sakura; I'm at point 'c'."

"Naruto; I'm at point 'a'. Believe it."

I pressed the button and tapped on the tree I was hiding in two times signaling that I was at point 'b' as well. Sasuke was in a tree right across from me and we were watching our prey closely.

"Go slow Naruto", Kakashi-sensei commanded through the microphone, "'Kay squad 7… hm? Target has moved! Follow it!"

We shot off towards the nuisance; each hiding as best we could so not to startle the creature.

"What's your distance from the target", Kakashi-sensei questioned in our ears.

"Five meters", Naruto stated, "I'm ready just give the signal."

"I'm ready too", Sasuke agreed.

I tapped the bark of the tree in approval and Sakura stated that she was also prepared. "Okay… now", Kakashi-sensei signaled.

We all shot towards the brown cat and Naruto; being the closest, got to it first, "I got him I got him!"

"Can you verify the ribbon on right ear", Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Affirmative; we got a positive ID", Sasuke assured our sensei.

The cat was clawing and biting at Naruto viciously. I shook my head and approached the animal slowly. The feline froze one I was close enough and I held out my hand for it to sniff. It did as expected and after I was sure he had gotten my scent I began petting it behind the ears and picked it up off of Naruto. Cradling the cat in my arms I began scanning over Naruto with my eyes to make sure he hadn't gotten too hurt. The banshee and the blonde seemed awestruck at my display.

"Right. Lost cat Torra captured. Mission accomplished", our sensei's voice answered Sasuke.

"Can't we get a better mission then this; I hate cats", Naruto screamed into all of our ears and I winced at the noise.

We met up and returned the cat to its owner and I instantly wished we hadn't. That poor cat was being smothered by the big woman who seemed to not want to let go. "_You should be glad I don't treat you like that Chinmoku_."

"Hahaha! Stupid cat; that's what you get", Naruto laughed at Torra's misfortune.

"No wonder he ran away", Sakura commented.

We traveled back to the Hokage's tower to receive our next mission and the old man began listing off several 'D' rank missions. Mid-list Naruto interrupted, "I want to go on a real mission! Something challenging and cool not this baby stuff! Come on old man!"

I could see that Sasuke and Sakura agreed with him and I did too. These missions were growing quite tiresome; I had a growing longing for something a bit more high rank.

"How dare you! Naruto you are only a brand new Genin with absolutely no experience! You have to start with simple missions to develop and prove that you can do more", Iruka-sensei lectured.

"Are you serious?!" Naruto was being very hot-headed today.

Kakashi-sensei punched the blonde in the back of the head, "Will you put a lid on it?"

Hokage-sama began a lecture about missions and rankings but it didn't hold Naruto's attention for more than five seconds. Naruto struck up a conversation with us, "So I had this miso ramen yesterday and I think I might have some again today but I'm not sure…"

"Silence", Hokage-sama interrupted; drawing our attention back to him.

"Oh, sorry", Kakashi-sensei apologized sheepishly.

"Ugh! You always lecture me like I'm some little kid but I'm not. I'm a ninja now and I want a ninja mission", fox boy exclaimed with a grunt of defiance.

"Fine", Hokage-sama finally spoke, "Since you are so determined… I'll give you all a 'C' rank mission. You'll be body guards on a journey."

"Really", Naruto was back to his excited self, "Who? Who?"

"Bring him in", Hokage-sama commanded.

An older man holding a bottle of something I recognized as Sake appeared at the door. He wore a straw hat and had deep gray hair along with wrinkled aged skin and glasses. I could tell the Sake he had was cheap so he obviously didn't have much money and his clothes were another example of that since they were a bit ragged and dull colored.

"Wha-? A bunch of snot-nosed brats", he slurred. "And who's the short one with the stupid look on his face? You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

I already knew he was talking about Naruto and it made my blood hot; I didn't like it one bit that he was insulting the blonde that way. Naruto didn't seem to catch on though, "Hahahahaha! Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his face?"

I tried not to make it look to obvious but we were all standing around him. Sasuke was the tallest with me in second, the banshee came in third, and finally stood Naruto. An imaginary light bulb appeared along with a not so imaginary tick on Naruto's forehead, "I'll demolish you!"

"You can't demolish the client", Kakashi-sensei held onto the blonde's collar to keep him from attacking the offensive old man.

"I am Tazuna; a master bridge builder and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world. I expect you to get me there safely no matter the cost", Tazuna, apparently, said while taking another swig of his cheap Sake.

After we had calmed down Naruto we headed to the Konoha gates to head out on our first 'C' rank mission. It felt odd staring out at the thick vegetation and gravel path outside of the village. I hadn't left the village since arriving; I was slightly nervous. Naruto seemed excited though, "_He's probably never left this village_." My guess was proved by the banshee and Naruto's small side conversation. I sighed deeply at the commotion that started between Tazuna-san and the blonde. "_Why can't the old man cut him a break? He knows nothing about Naruto so he needs to stop treating him like dirt_." I felt Sasuke looking at me but I ignored it. If Kiba wasn't my best friend then Sasuke would have taken that spot. I understood him and he had a sort of understanding of me too. As much of an understanding of someone you can get when you don't know their past and they don't speak, but I knew that he knew something dark was in my past because he treated me as such. I had to admit that I was quite fond of the Uchiha despite his brooding attitude most of the time. As we walked I caught a few bits and pieces of what Kakashi-sensei and Sakura were discussing. I wasn't interested in the least; these were things I already knew.

I did; however, notice Tazuna-san's uneasiness at the mention of foreign ninja. I decided to push that information away for later. A small puddle of water appeared before us after a while and a narrowed my eyes at it, "_That's not right. That shouldn't be there. What is going on_?" I felt Kakashi-sensei's hand on my shoulder and looked up at him questioningly. He moved his head only a millimeter to the left and right signaling that I shouldn't make a scene over it. I looked forward and kept walking. We only got a few feet away from it when I felt a presence emerge from behind, "_I knew it_!" I turned around just in time to see a ninja hurtling towards us and throw a spiked chain our way. The large chain wrapped around Kakashi-sensei and constricted; tearing apart the Jounin's body, but the sound of chunks landing on the ground sounded more like wood scraps rather than human body slices. The ninja ran up behind Naruto and made a move to attack but the fox stood there frozen. Sasuke and I made a move at the same time; he pinned one part of the chain to a tree while I pinned the other to the ground. I jumped back and let him take care of the two attackers, but the two just released the chains and went separate ways. One approached Naruto while the other went to attack Tazuna-san. I saw Sasuke looking towards our client and knew he would take care of him, "_I have to help Naruto_." I moved full speed in front of the blonde and kicked the attacking ninja in the face. He began flying backwards but not before his claws nicked Naruto's hand.

The real Kakashi-sensei appeared not a second too late and grabbed both of the men in a chock-hold. Sasuke seemed a little ticked off and I thought it was fairly amusing to see the Uchiha with that look on his face. Sakura and Naruto on the other hand looked amazed at our sensei.

"Sorry I didn't come to help you earlier Naruto. I didn't think that Shizue would have to help or that you would freeze up like that", Kakashi-sensei stated offhandedly then he walked up to us, "Good job Shizue and Sasuke; very smooth. You too Sakura."

Tazuna-san seemed very relieved and Naruto was in shock. My suspicion of the bridge builder had grown ten-fold. I wanted to know why such powerful people were after him and why it was classified as a 'C' rank mission.

Sasuke turned to Naruto and a bit of concern dripped into his voice, "Hey."

"Yeah", Naruto prompted.

"You're not hurt are ya… scaredy cat", all concern was washed away from the Uchiha's tone and he had a smug smile on his face.

This time I couldn't argue; I didn't understand why Naruto had reacted that way either. I could tell the blonde was about to charge when Kakashi-sensei called out, "Naruto! Stand still; these ninja had poison on their claws. We need to extract it from your body quickly. We have to open the wound and remove it! Don't move around or else the poison will spread through your blood much faster", he paused, "By the way Tazuna-san. We need to talk."

Kakashi-sensei went on to explain who the ninja were; they were apparently Chunin level which surprised me for their weak attacks. "How did you know about our ambush?" The Mist ninja asked.

"A puddle in the middle of the road when there hasn't been rain in days? I wasn't the only one who noticed", Kakashi-sensei stated as his eyes flickered over to me. Sasuke noticed the quick movement and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

I only closed my eyes and nodded in response. Tazuna-san suddenly spoke up, "In that case… why did you leave it for the Genin to handle?" "_Tck. The audacity of this man. He really thinks he has the right to question that when he obviously didn't even tell the truth to the Hokage about this mission_", I was irritated by Tazuna-san.

"I could have taken them out but then I wouldn't have learned a thing. I had to know who and what they were after", Kakashi-sensei shot a dark glare at Tazuna-san who flinched, "You have endangered my subordinate's lives by lying to the Hokage. In your request you asked for standard protection from robbers and highway men not from ninja. This should be a 'B' rank mission or higher. You obviously have your reasons for lying but it is still unacceptable. We are currently beyond the scope of this mission."

"We're Genin this is too advanced for us", Sakura agreed. "_This must have been why he reacted the way he did when he realized it would be such young ninja protecting him_." The banshee continued, "We should go back and treat Naruto's wound."

"It's true. Naruto's hand could become a problem. I guess we should go back to the village", Kakashi-sensei agreed.

I recognized the glint in Naruto's eyes as he raised a kunai high in the air and plunged it into his hand. The blonde began a speech that ended with the vow he would not back down. I had to admit that I was both surprised and proud of the fox boy. Our sensei commented on the blood loss and Naruto panicked. "_Kakashi-sensei should know better. Now that the poison is out that wound will heal ten times faster than any regular wound_." I knew that from personal experience; any wound I ever received always healed almost instantly without any scaring. We continued on our way to Tazuna-san's home but as we walked a small feeling of worry rose in the pit of my stomach and I didn't like it; the last time I had felt anything like this my whole village was burned to the ground. We ended up having to travel on a boat; I didn't mind it too much but with Mist ninja following us and the feeling in my stomach I was a bit uneasy at the thought. I was relieved at the fact that we stayed safe the whole way.

I took no interest in the old man's story; I already knew that no matter what, if nothing else, Naruto wasn't going to give up on the mission and we can't leave him behind. The only thing that even remotely caught my attention was the name of the man who was chasing Tazuna-san; Gato. Chinmoku flashed a few images that let on to how rich this Gato character was and that made the twist in my stomach get a bit tighter; this guy could hire almost any missionary ninja he wanted. There is no shortage of strong missing ninja looking for a good pay out. As soon as we landed Tazuna-san was making the demand that we take him safely home. We obliged without complaint. Naruto seemed quite on edge ever since Sasuke's comment and now he was jumping around throwing kunai and shuriken at everything that moved. He continued this way until he ended up scaring the crap out of a small rabbit. The twisting in my stomach got worse at the sight of the rabbit, "_Why is that rabbit's coat white? The weather is warm and plenty of sunshine. Another trap_." I looked back and saw Kakashi-sensei with a serious expression on his face and knew he had come to the same conclusion.

His eyes drifted back to me and he gave a miniscule nod to confirm my suspicion then he looked back up. Originating from the spot that Kakashi-sensei was looking; a weapon I couldn't quite make out flew towards us. We all barley dodged as the item lodged itself in a nearby tree. A man stood on top of a sword bigger than my own body and wore odd looking pants with leg and arm warmers. His short black hair was cut to the side and the way he wore a lopsided mist headband and a gauze mask reminded me of Kakashi-sensei.

"Well well if it isn't Zabuza Momochi; rouge ninja", Kakashi-sensei introduced. "_Who is Zabuza_?" I winced slightly as Chinmoku flooded my brain with images of the 'demon of the mist' I was about to request Chinmoku be a little more gentle when I felt the spark of bloodlust in his attitude, "_No. You have to stay calm otherwise I won't be calm either_."

While I was lost in my internal battle a small commotion had occurred between Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Zabuza and when I had finally refocused on the now Kakashi-sensei was pulling up his headband. Shock rushed through me at the sight of his eye, "_That's the Sharingan that Chinmoku and Nii-san… that they told me about, but how? I thought that dojutsu was reserved for the Uchiha clan only_!"

"Now quick; get into formation! Protect the bridge builder", the silver-haired Jounin commanded.

"Ahh; looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action", Zabuza commented in a deep gravelly voice.

"Everyone keeps saying 'Sharingan'! What is 'Sharingan'", Naruto complained.

Sasuke began a long winded explanation of dojutsu and of course the Sharingan but I was more focused on Zabuza. This 'demon of the mist' had stirred Chinmoku's rare heightened feelings of bloodlust and that alone set me on edge.

"That's right boy, but you've only scratched the surface", Zabuza taunted Sasuke, "The Sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail."

"_Not all techniques… there are certain things that other human bodies just can't do_", I mentally corrected him. A heavy mist rolled into the area and my whole body tensed. My senses were on fire with the deadly energy of the five tails and my own personal edginess.

"As for you; Jounin, in the assassination unit of the Hidden Mist we had a standing order to kill you on site", the gravelly voice spoke out though now I could barely make him out, "Your profile was in our bingo book; 'The Man Who Copied Over A Thousand Jutsu'."

"_That's a long title_", though I knew it was true. Chinmoku first showed me that a while back, but he was just referred to as the 'Copy Ninja'. Nothing about one thousand jutsus.

"Wow! That's so cool", Naruto exclaimed.

"Enough talk. I need to destroy the old man; now", Zabuza crouched down on his sword like a cat ready to pounce.

All four of us reacted to his statement by getting in a formation. I took the back, Sasuke was in front, the banshee was to my left, and Naruto was to my right. I was a bit uneasy knowing that I was no longer facing the missing ninja but that only caused me to be more prepared and the grip on my kunai tightened. From behind me I heard Zabuza mutter something I couldn't quite make out and then his sword being torn out of the tree. For once I was actually grateful to the narration of my comrades. "_On the water huh? Well I was half right about not wanting to be around water; though it didn't happen while we were on the boat_." I heard them mention that Zabuza had vanished.

"He'll come after me. Zabuza Momochi is a master of the silent killing technique", Kakashi-sensei stated. "_I wouldn't be so sure that he is going after you first sensei. His objective is the old man there isn't any telling who he will really go after first. Missing ninja aren't known for striking honesty_."

I could no longer see Kakashi-sensei from the corner of my eye as the mist got impossibly thicker. Zabuza's voice entered the tense silence, "Eight points; larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, sub-cleavian artery, kidneys, heart; now which will be my attack point?"

I heard a movement and suddenly all the mist surrounding Tazuna-san and Kakashi-sensei was pushed away. Even though I wasn't facing him I could still feel how tense Sasuke was; it was like he was going insane. I discreetly reached around behind Sakura and placed my hand on the back of Sasuke's shaking arm. He froze then his eyes traveled behind him to meet my gaze and he immediately relaxed, "_Calm down Sasuke_." He nodded his head and I squeezed his arm lightly then returned to my original stance.

"Calm down; I will protect you with my life. All of you. I will not let my comrades fall; trust me", Kakashi said and I could hear the friendliness.

"I wouldn't be so sure", a familiar baritone voice rang out.

I heard his movements but he was so fast; I was only just able to step back before my body came in contact with his sword. The bloodlust practically radiated off of this guy and unfortunately I was currently a sponge absorbing every ounce of it. It was getting harder by the second to keep Chinmoku semi-calm. Zabuza was in the process of swinging his sword around to slice us into pieces when Kakashi-sensei shot towards us with kunai in hand and stabbed through the, apparently, clone's stomach. The possibly real Zabuza jumped down behind Kakashi-sensei and cut him in half only to fine that it was also a clone. "_This is getting a bit confusing_", I thought with a frustrated sigh.

"Don't move", the possibly-real-Kakashi-sensei commanded with a kunai held to possibly-real-Zabuza's throat.

"Alright", Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura smiled but I knew that this could be just as much a trick; more than one clone can exist at one time. Almost as if to prove my point the missing Mist ninja chuckled darkly.

"Very clever copy ninja, but you can't beat me with your vulgar imitations", the (who I was assuming was) real Zabuza dashed behind Kakashi-sensei while his clone collapsed into water, "I'm not that easy to fool!"

**So I'm trying not to drone on about what literally going on since most have already seen it and remember but it's hard to do because I like being detailed. The next chapter will focus a bit more on Shizue I promise. You guys' reviews are so awesome and I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying the story. There are still a few chapters before any serious romance goes on (meaning waiting till Chunin exams) so vote are still welcome. There is one for Sasuke and four for Gaara. Anyway I appreciate any critics or praises. Buh-Bye ~ Kue**


	6. Chakra Control

**Kue: Hey again! **

**Zabuza: Hello**

**Kue: Wait… how did you get here 0.0**

**Haku: I had to bring him with me**

**Kue: But why? I specifically told you not to bring him.**

**Zabuza: Why didn't you want me to come?**

**Kue: Um 0.0 … no reason… I mean…**

**Haku: She said you were a psychopathic dummy that shouldn't have a chance to ruin her intro.**

**Zabuza: Is that so? *picks up sword***

**Kue: NUHH! *runs away* I don't own *dodges sword* Naruto. *jumps fence* I hope you enjoy!**

Zabuza made a swing for Kakashi-sensei with his sword that was easily dodged, but almost instantly the demon of the mist retaliated with a swift kick to the chest. Our sensei was sent flying backwards into the water. The water seemed to weigh him down more than regular water should. Zabuza swiftly appeared behind the wet Jounin with a sort of smirk behind his mask.

"Fool", he made a few hand signs, "Water prison jutsu!"

Kakashi-sensei was lifted in an orb of floating water that resembled the color of Naruto's eyes. It seemed as though sensei could breathe and that was a relief but anger was beginning to build. Zabuza was rambling about something but I couldn't focus well enough to catch it. Most of this pent up need for battle was not my own. A water clone rose from the ground in front of us continuing to ramble on; this time I got the just of what he was saying. Claiming we weren't real ninja. I subconsciously crouched like an animal as feral nature warred with my own knowledge to stay calm. Then he did it; Zabuza sent Naruto flying and stepped upon the blonde's fallen headband. My lips pulled back in a silent snarl and I went full speed towards him; faintly I heard Kakashi-sensei yelling for me to stop but my mind was somewhat foggy and I didn't have complete control over my actions. The Zabuza clone's eyes widened at my speed but quickly recovered with a smirk. I sent two kunai his way and he easily dodged. I jumped and twisted in mid-air; swinging my leg towards the Mist ninja's head. He just barely grabbed hold of my leg and threw it downwards and then punched me in the chest. I was sent backwards into a tree; my back got the brunt of it. The pain woke me from my raged daze. Sasuke was at my side and Kakashi-sensei was trying to tell us to run away. I attempted to push myself up but a pain shot through my lower back and I winced. Without asking; Sasuke wrapped my arm around his shoulder and helped to stand up. "_Does Kakashi-sensei really believe that running would work? He should know better_", it seemed Sasuke was going through a similar thought process. "_That can't be easy for him with forty extra pounds hanging off that arm_",I pushed more of my weight on myself then pulled my arm from around the Uchiha's shoulder. The pain was beginning to subside while my bruised back was healed by Chinmoku. Sasuke rose an eyebrow at me but I simply waved off the look. He returned his eyes to the Zabuza clone and to his train of thought.

"We've got to do it", he exclaimed suddenly.

Sasuke shot off towards Zabuza throwing a few shuriken in his direction. He jumped into the air and was coming down towards the missing ninja with a kunai held high, "_No Sasuke! Did you not just see my own attempt_?"

"Too easy", Zabuza commented.

Said man grabbed Sasuke by the throat as soon as he was in range and choked him.

"Sasuke-kun", Sakura shouted in distress.

I began calculating; something I rarely felt the need to do. My eyes darted all around zipping through ideas to try and help Sasuke. Everything was on overdrive. It was a strange sensation. Zabuza whipped Sasuke around then threw him to the ground. Sakura and Naruto shook with fear, "_What do we do now? We have to release Kakashi-sensei_!" A movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Naruto was standing up with a sense of determination. His blue orbs held a fire that was always present when he had decided something important. The blonde took off towards Zabuza.

"Naruto no", Kakashi-sensei called.

It was almost so small that I didn't catch it but right as Zabuza lifted his foot to kick Naruto away the boy reached down and grabbed his headband. "_That's what he was after_." No one else seemed to have noticed as Naruto skidded to a stop face down in the dirt.

"Naruto! What were you thinking running at him like that? Not even Sasuke-kun could get to him", even in a serious battle like this that banshee doesn't drop the '-kun'.

Fox boy began forcing himself up again and now everyone could see our village symbol clutched tightly in his hand. Shock was present on the pinkette's face as well as Sasuke's (who was now standing).

"Hey eyebrow-less", Naruto started, "Put this in your bingo book; the ninja that shall become Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves Naruto Uzumaki!" He put his headband back in its rightful place, "I will never back down! Okay Sasuke listen up. I've got a plan!"

"Listening", Sasuke prompted.

The two walked closer together, "Okay! Let's bring this guy down."

"Big words for such a little kid. Do you really believe your plan will beat me?" Zabuza sounded smug.

"What are you doing I told you to run? Your mission is to protect the bridge builder not to prove how brave you are. This fight was over the moment I got caught", Kakashi-sensei shouted from his little bubble.

Naruto looked back over his shoulder at Tazuna-san, "Bridge builder?"

"This is my fault. Forget about me and do what is needed to save your sensei", Tazuna-san responded.

"Hn, alright then. Ready?" Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Yeah believe it, let's go", the blonde agreed.

"Pft. Still playing ninja and acting tough. When I was your age I had already crushed many opponents", the demon taunted us.

The other three seemed shocked and Kakashi-sensei decided to fill them in on Zabuza's status as the demon of the mist. The whole time Zabuza got more and more excited; I could feel it. Half my focus became occupied with Chinmoku's restlessness once more. At the end of Kakashi-sensei's speech Zabuza's need for a fight had obviously reached its peak because his water clone attacked Sasuke and stepped on the Uchiha's fallen form. I reacted almost instantly. I shot towards Zabuza with the appearance that I was going to jump but instead I slid and kicked his foot off of Sasuke while dragging the boy with me a few feet away. Sasuke grunted slightly at the momentum at which I had wrapped my arm around his waist to pull him with me. Once we had stopped moving I look up and saw Zabuza staring at me with an agitated look. He was about to step forward when Naruto's voice intervened.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

Now multiple Naruto's surrounded Zabuza and they all simultaneously jumped at him. It only took Zabuza a moment to throw them all back with a swing of his sword from within the pile. I helped pull Sasuke up during the chaos and we watched as many of the Naruto's began disappearing in puffs of white smoke.

"I'm not giving up. I've still got this", Naruto pulled a large shuriken from his pack, "Sasuke!"

The blonde threw the shuriken over to us and Sasuke caught it effortlessly. He spun it out to its correct form, "Demon wind shuriken: windmill of shadows!"

The Uchiha jumped high into the air and threw the shuriken towards the clone, but the shuriken didn't hit the clone. It curved around and headed straight for the real Zabuza, "_Very clever_." Real Zabuza caught the shuriken mid spin only to have another come at him. He jumped over that one, "_He didn't notice_." Naruto transformed and threw kunai at the now very surprised demon of the mist. Zabuza had no choice but to remove his hand from the water prison; canceling the jutsu. He was evidently infuriated and began spinning the shuriken in his hand but Kakashi-sensei stopped the motion with his own hand.

"Good plan Naruto, you've really grown", Kakashi-sensei complimented.

"Hahaha! I knew I couldn't beat him with my shadow clones. That was only a distraction so I could freely set up my master plan", Naruto gloated.

"Heh. Don't brag it was only luck", Sasuke commented.

Tazuna-san seemed to agree, "It was only a fluke."

"_They can't honestly believe that can they_?" "I only got distracted and had to cancel the jutsu", Zabuza tried to repair his hurt pride.

"Don't flatter yourself. You weren't distracted. You were forced to let me go", Kakashi-sensei was quick to put the man in his place. "Your technique worked on me once but it won't work again."

The two elite ninja stood in tense silence for a moment then Zabuza folded the shuriken in an attempted to push down Kakashi-sensei's hand. The Jounin succeeded in pushing the shuriken away; sending it flying who-knows-where. Both Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza jumped back from each other. Zabuza began performing a series of hand signs that was closely copied by Kakashi-sensei.

"Water dragon jutsu", they called in unison.

Two stunning dragons made from water erupted from the water. They criss-crossed and twisted around each other in a sort of dance. I had never seen a jutsu like this one and I couldn't decide if it was menacing or just plain beautiful. The two dragons collided and caused a wave to surge forward towards us also carrying Naruto with it. We all crossed our arms in front of us as the crisp water crashed against our bodies; willing us to move with it. The water creatures continued their dance, biting and continuing to push against one another. Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza clashed kunai against sword under a rain of clear water. I felt another presence in the area suddenly. I went rigid, "_Another enemy_", but nothing attacked. I scanned the area with my eyes but came up short. I didn't want to make my worry too apparent. A movement from the water drew my attention once more. Kakashi-sensei seemed to copy Zabuza's every movement perfectly. "_No he's not just copying anymore. He is anticipating and moving almost before even Zabuza can_." The two began hand signs again and the missing ninja seemed on the brink of insanity.

"Water style: Giant vortex jutsu", Kakashi-sensei called out alone.

"Impossible", Zabuza exclaimed.

A ginormous bulb of water spun rapidly in place before surging forward and catching Zabuza in its rampage. The 'vortex' ripped through the forest with such strength that it caused winds to whip our bodies back slightly. I faintly felt the unknown presence move from their previous spot. Once the water had dispersed a worn out Zabuza was revealed to be sitting hunched over against a tree. Several kunai pinned him to the tree and Kakashi-sensei watched him from a branch high above where he sat.

"How", Zabuza's fear was strong and dripped from his words, "Can you… see into the future?"

"Yes and your future is death", Kakashi-sensei lifted up a kunai ready to strike.

That presence appeared once more and two senbon zipped past straight into Zabuza's neck. I could now see him. A boy from the looks of it. He had long hair that was pulled to the front in twin pony tails along with a bun at the back of his head and his face was covered by a mask with the hidden mist symbol at the forehead. Chinmoku was still agitated but when he flashed the images through my head he was a bit more gentle; this person was a tracking ninja.

The ninja chuckled lowly, "You were right. It was his last battle", his voice was very feminine but the shape of his body told me he was a boy.

Naruto crawled fully onto the bank and watched the unknown with hostility while Kakashi-sensei jumped from his perch and rested his fingers on Zabuza's neck; checking for vitals.

"He's dead", our sensei finally concluded after a moment.

The ninja bowed his head, "Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza-sama for a long time."

"Going by your mask I can see that you are a tracker ninja from the village hidden in the Mist", Kakashi-sensei stated.

"Impressive, you are well informed", he confirmed.

I stared at the ninja intently. He wasn't much older than any of us, maybe by a year. "_He's so young and yet he supposedly has been tracking Zabuza for a long time. I don't feel right about him not to mention… he referred to Zabuza as '-sama'_." My eyes looked over to Zabuza's limp form. Faintly I could hear the banshee's voice explaining something to Naruto about tracking ninja. I zoomed in on the punctures on his neck. They appeared to be right at his vitals but if I could just get a better look I could confirm… the boy's voice brought my attention away from Zabuza.

"That's right. I'm an elite ninja from the tracking unit of the Mist."

Naruto ran forward clearly frustrated about something, "Hey! Who do you think you are?"

"Easy Naruto; he isn't our enemy", Kakashi-sensei attempted to sooth.

"That's not the point! Did you see what he did? Zabuza was like some sort of monster that we had so much trouble with but this kid who is no older than me brought him down in one move. He did it like it was nothing, I mean what does that make us? It's like we don't know anything; fumbling around in the dark. How could I accept that", the blonde shouted in distress.

"You may not accept it but it _did_ happen", our sensei placed a comforting hand on top of Naruto's head, "In this world there are ninja who are younger than you yet… stronger than me."

The tracker ninja disappeared in a swirl of wind and reappeared right next to Zabuza. He picked him up with one arm slung around his neck, "Your struggle is over now. I must deal with the remains. I must make sure the secrets of this body don't end up in the wrong hands. Farewell."

"_No! That's not correct. A tracker ninja always deals with the body in the place of death_", but I couldn't stop the boy as he and Zabuza vanished in a swirl of wind and leaves. With a sigh Kakashi-sensei pulled his headband low over his eye once more. His body was tense and I had an idea that the silver-haired Jounin might be more hurt than he is letting on. Naruto trembled with frustration and confusion and I felt a bit of pity for him. I could feel Chinmoku calming now that the battle was over but my mind was still buzzing with questions for the so called tracker ninja.

"Alright lets complete our mission", Kakashi-sensei commanded.

Tazuna-san laughed sheepishly, "Sorry for causing all this trouble. When we get back you all can rest up at my house."

Kakashi-sensei only took a few steps forward before he froze and began to fall. I shot under his falling frame and caught him with a bit of trouble, "_He is heavier than I thought he would be… but then again he is weighed down by the water_." All thoughts about the mysterious boy were pushed aside and the other gathered around me. Sasuke and Naruto could see I was struggling and ducked under Kakashi-sensei's arms to push some of his weight onto themselves. The walk back to Tazuna-san's home was a long one. As soon as we entered his house a young woman rushed over to us with worried eyes. She was very pretty and had a motherly air about her.

"Father! Thank Kami you are home safe", she exclaimed but then she noticed Kakashi-sensei, "Oh my, come in come in." She pushed us through the door, "Please let me lead you to a place where you can lay him down."

I was pleasantly surprised that she didn't ask any questions as to what had happened just yet; it showed that she had a mind to help those in need which was a good trait. After everyone had settled down and Kakashi-sensei had been put into a room safely with a warm bed almost everyone went to the dining room. They tried to coax me into doing the same but I wasn't having it. I was on edge; I was determined to make sure that Kakashi-sensei was safe. I was sure now that Zabuza was in fact _not_ dead and that the 'tracker ninja' was a subordinate of his. Even though Zabuza would be out for a while; the mysterious boy could attack at any moment. I watched diligently but could still hear the murmurs of Tazuna-san and the others just a little ways away. The sun was still high in the sky and after a few hours Kakashi-sensei's eyes opened. Coincidentally Tazuna-san's daughter walked in to check on him just at this moment.

"Waking up huh? Are you alright", she asked in her motherly tone.

"I've been better. It'll be a week before I can move fully", he said this while attempting to sit up but I reached out and placed my hands on his shoulders pushing lightly.

Kakashi-sensei looked at me with a bit of surprise, "_Probably didn't notice me before_." "Then its better if you don't move so just stay lying down", the older woman stated.

"Mm… right", the Jounin slid back under the covers and I pulled my hand back from his shoulders.

The others must have been drawn in by the sounds of voices because they arrived at the doorway. "Look Kakashi-sensei is coming around", Naruto stated.

Sakura walked up and sat down next to me, "Listen sensei the Sharingan is amazing and all but maybe it isn't worth it if it puts so much strain on your body."

"Sorry", Kakashi-sensei apologized.

"Huh, well he did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassins so I'm sure we'll be safe for a while", Tazuna-san commented.

"Right… but what about that boy with the mask", the banshee questioned.

"He's from an elite group of ninja that track down missing ninja from their village and kill them. After killing their targets the cut open the bodies and dispose of them to make sure that their villages secrets won't make it into the hands of the wrong people", Kakashi-sensei explained. "_Wrong_", I corrected in my head and I shifted my weight in discomfort, "_If that boy truly fooled Kakashi-sensei then he really is much stronger than any ordinary ninja boy_."

It was evident that something was bothering Kakashi-sensei, "What's wrong sensei", Naruto seemed to have caught on to it too.

Kakashi-sensei was brought out of thought, "Oh yeah… to finish what I was originally saying. You see… tracker ninja deal with the body immediately."

"Is that… really important", Sakura asked. "_And her redeeming quality is supposed to be her intelligence_", I thought irritably.

"Well, do you remember what that tracker did with Zabuza's body?" As always Kakashi-sensei was trying to help them catch on on their own.

"We don't know what he did. I guess he took him away somewhere", the pinkette responded still oblivious.

I huffed out a frustrated sigh but nothing else gave away my feelings. Kakashi-sensei looked at me, "You noticed too didn't you Shizue?" I gave a curt nod and he continued, "He should have worked on Zabuza as soon as he had been killed. Think of the weapons he used to take down Zabuza. Remember what they were?"

Sasuke seemed to get it now, "Senbon… no way!"

"Exactly right. None of it adds up correctly."

"What are you all chatting about? You demolished that missing ninja", Tazuna-san questioned.

"The truth is… Zabuza Momochi is still alive", Kakashi-sensei finally informed.

Tazuna-san, Naruto, and the banshee all seemed in complete shock. Naruto was the first to call out, "But we saw his body! Believe it!"

"Kakashi-sensei you checked him yourself! You said that his heart had stopped", Sakura was in total denial.

"It was all a rouse. He was put into a temporary death state. Senbon are able to pierce the skin deeply but aren't capable of killing unless they hit a vital organ. They are modified from the needles used for medical purposes. For a tracker ninja; temporarily stopping the heart is child's play. From what we know we can say that the boy wasn't trying to kill Zabuza but rather to save him. We must prepare quickly to respond to an attack", Kakashi-sensei argued.

Naruto seemed excited at the aspect of fighting the missing ninja again. "Well how do we prepare if you can barely move", Sakura had finally made a good point. "_Training will be difficult if we lack an active sensei_."

"Hehe I can still train you", Kakashi-sensei chuckled.

"Hold on! A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza. You could barely defeat him even with your Sharingan. Be reasonable", the pinkette wouldn't give up her argument. "_It's like she wants to die. She acts like we have much choice. Maybe she isn't really smart at all_."

"Sakura the only reason I could stop Zabuza was because of you all", Kakashi-sensei retorted, "You've all grown. Naruto's grown the most."

I heard the soft pats of someone coming closer to the door, "_They must have come up the same time as the rest. They sound like a small child_." "You noticed? Well things are gonna get better, believe it", Naruto stated confidently.

"I don't believe it. Nothing is going to get better", a squeaky voice called from the door way.

Out of my peripheral vision I could see a young boy wearing green overalls with short brown hair covered by a hat standing there defiantly. "Who are you", Naruto asked loudly.

"Inari-kun! Where have you been", Tazuna-san greeted while opening his arms for a hug.

Inari-san, apparently, ran towards Tazuna-san excitedly, "Welcome back Ojii-chan!"

"Inari-kun that was very rude", the woman scolded Inari-san. "_So does that make this woman his mother_?" "These ninja helped your Ojii-chan and brought him here safely", she continued.

"It's okay I'm rude to them too", Tazuna-san laughed.

"Mother don't you see? Gato's men will track these people down and kill them", Inari-san sounded like he genuinely believed what he was saying.

"What did you say brat?!" Naruto was obviously outraged, "Listen, you know what a super ninja is? Well that's me only way better! I'm going to be Hokage! Gato is no match for an awesome hero like me!"

"Ha! There's no such thing as a 'hero'. You're just full of dumb ideas", Inari-san put down Naruto. I was starting to get a little impatient with the boy, "_He has no right to talk to Naruto in that way_."

"What'd you say?" Naruto took a few steps towards Inari-san only to have Sakura stand to hold him back.

Inari-san turned away from us, "If you want to stay alive you should go back where you came from", with that the boy walked away.

I stood up and dusted myself off; deciding to head to the roof. "Where are you going", Kakashi-sensei questioned. I pointed up and he got the message. "Okay well we are leaving soon to start the training so don't get too comfortable."

I nodded then climbed out of the window and up to the roof. I laid out on the tiles watching the clouds drift through the blue sky. It was a fairly hot day. My mind wandered for a little while but my musings were interrupted by a sniffing sound. I crawled towards the noise and could now make out the distinct sound of someone crying.

"No father", Inari-san's voice called out delicately.

"_Interesting_", I concluded. A minute or so later Kakashi-sensei along with the others emerged from the house. The silver-haired ninja waved me down to join them and I did. We walked to the near-by trees and stopped once we were far inside the area.

"Okay training starts now", Kakashi-sensei started, "First we will begin with a review of chakra. Understanding our source of power is essential."

"We know that", Sasuke said with a bored expression. "_He kind of looks like Shikamaru right now_."

"He's right! A long time ago we learned about… uhh… Katchra", Naruto agreed with Sasuke.

"Chakra", Kakashi-sensei sighed, "Care to explain Sakura?"

"Alright Naruto I'll explain it simply so that you will understand", the banshee went on to explain the two parts of chakra and how we focus and release it.

"Correct", Kakashi-sensei complimented.

"What's the deal with all these complicated explanations. The point is that we learn jutsu right", Naruto asked. "_You really can be a dobe sometimes_."

For some reason I could not fathom Sasuke agreed with the blonde, "Naruto's right for once. We are already using chakra in our jutsu."

"No. You haven't mastered this power. In fact, you've barely scratched the surface", our sensei contradicted, "Jutsu requires both physical and spiritual control _but_ how do you do that? Each jutsu demands that you combine the right amount and kinds of chakra in just the right way. Up till now you only guessed at the proportions. Even if lots of chakra is produced; unless you can balance and control it, it all means nothing. You waste your energy and can no longer fight."

"So how do we change that", Naruto finally questioned.

"Train hard enough that it becomes second nature to control your chakra", Kakashi-sensei answered.

"Well then what do we have to do", Sakura wondered.

The Jounin chuckled, "Climb a tree." "_Hmm… I was hoping this would be something new_."

"Climb a tree?!" They all seemed in disbelief.

"There is only one rule… you can't use your hands. Watch and learn", he focused his chakra and then approached one of the taller trees. He walked leisurely up the side until he was hanging upside down from a branch, "You get the idea. Focus the chakra to your feet and use it to connect to the tree."

"That's a nice trick and all but how does that help us fight Zabuza", the banshee shouted.

"Doing this exercise is tough work. The soles of your feet are one of hardest places to gather you chakra. You must have complete control to walk up a tree in this way. If you can master this you can master any jutsu", he stated seriously, "Theoretically anyway. The second part of this will help you keep focused. During the heat of battle losing control over chakra can be a deadly mistake." Kakashi-sensei threw four kunai that landed at our feet, "Use the kunai knife to mark the tree at the highest point you can reach. At first you may need to run at the tree in order to gain momentum. Ready?"

Naruto tore the kunai out of the ground, "I'm more than ready. This is gonna be a piece of cake. Believe it! Remember what you said sensei. I've grown the most."

"You definitely talk the most", Kakashi-sensei stated off-handedly, "Now go!"

I left my kunai in the ground while the others had theirs tightly held in their hands. "_Well maybe it will be fun watching them do it_." They were all busy focusing their chakra while I decided to go ahead and walk towards my tree. I had already made it half way up when I heard the others running towards their targets. I didn't bother to look back as I could hear Naruto almost instantly land on his butt and Sasuke made it a little farther up. Sakura on the other hand made it to the closest branch. I kept walking till I had reached past the leaves. I was out of sight at this point.

"Where's Shizue", I heard Naruto's voice.

I pulled out a kunai and threw it straight down the tree so they would have a good idea of where I was. "It seems the girls have the best control over their chakra", Kakashi-sensei taunted the boys.

"Woah, Shizue how did you get so far up? I can't even see you", Naruto shouted though I could hear a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Whatever", the Uchiha muttered.

I decided to keep on going and soon reached the top of the tree; my teammates voices no longer present. I could see miles in every direction. It really was a nice day today. After a good twenty minutes of cloud-watching I walked down to a branch where I could watch Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura struggle to get farther up. Sasuke spotted me and looked at me enviously before continuing his training. They spent a while with the same pattern; run, climb, mark, fall, repeat. Eventually the pinkette had tired herself out and was slouched against a tree while Sasuke and Naruto we still pushing themselves to continue. Naruto seemed about to throw a tantrum when he walked over to Sakura and began murmuring to her, "_Asking for help maybe? That's smart_."

I laid out on my branch enjoying the scene. Hours passed and eventually Kakashi-sensei had Sakura leave to go watch over Tazuna-san. He tried to get me to go but I really didn't want to leave. The sun began to sink low into the sky and both boys were growing more and more tired. Sasuke suddenly paused then turned to look up at me. I could tell he wanted me to come down and after some deliberation I decided to walk down to him. Once I was in range he leaned in a little closer.

"Can you… can you give me any pointers?" A light pink dusted the Uchiha's cheeks.

I pulled out a kunai and nodded then squatted down close to the ground. I drew out a chakra chart and wrote down little side notes in the ground. He watched closely and after I was done he gave me a grateful nod then whipped away evidence. I decided it was time I left and walked away towards the village. The streets were still fairly busy but the sight was depressing. Kids sat in alley ways and stores lacked the right amounts of food. As I walked I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned to look down at a small girl with long blonde hair and brown doe eyes.

"Uh… miss… please", she held out her hand pleadingly.

A pang struck my chest looking at the girl and I crouched down so I was eye level. I reached into my tan leather pouch a pulled out a few coins that I handed to her. Her eyes went wide and she looked at me with great appreciation.

"Thank you so much miss", she wrapped her arms around my neck; effectively shocking me.

After a few second she detached herself and ran off towards some store or another. When I got back to Tazuna-san's house it was dark. Voices drifted in from the dining room and I followed them to find everyone sitting around a table and the smell of cooking food wafting in from the kitchen.

"Oh there you are Shizue", Kakashi-sensei greeted, "Just in time for dinner."

I nodded and sat in the empty seat next to Kakashi-sensei and Naruto. Inari-san's mother walked towards each of the plate and piled on food. Maybe piled is the wrong word. I could tell that they didn't have much just like the rest of the village. Naruto and Sasuke gobbled their food down like maniacs, "_They're going to make themselves sick_." They quickly finished their bowls and shoved them in the air.

"Some more please!"

Electricity shot between them but only lasted for close to a nanosecond before they both turned a shade paler and leaned over to puke. I was barely out of Naruto's range.

"Don't eat so much if you're only going to throw it all up", Sakura raged.

"I have to", Sasuke stated defiantly.

"Yeah and I've gotta eat more than him. It's the only way I'll get strong", Naruto agreed, "_More like the only way to get fat_."

After we had finished Sakura spoke up about something that had obviously been bothering her a bit, "This picture… why is it torn? I noticed that Inari-san kept staring at it."

"It's my husband", Inari-san's mother voice interjected.

Tazuna-san looked solemn, "People used to call him a hero."

Inari-san abruptly stood and stormed out of the room with his mother following him only seconds later; scolding Tazuna-san for mentioning Inari-san's father. Tazuna-san went on to tell us the story of Inari-san's former step-father. A hero to their land and a very precious person to Inari-san. I could understand a bit better Inari-san's attitude but that didn't fully justify his actions.

Naruto tried to stand but tripped and Sakura regarded him with bored confusion, "Naruto what are you doing?"

"I'm going to prove it", he ignored the fangirl's question, "I'm going to prove that heros do exist!"

The blonde ran off; presumably to train. I spent the rest of the night in my room playing with my seeds. "_If I can figure out a way to grow these in mass then I could help this village with their food problem maybe even trade if I could find any special seeds_." It took a lot of chakra for me to grow regular seeds. They aren't supposed to sprout that way; that's why they make special chakra controlled ones. Before I knew it the sun's rosy fingers were stretching across the sky; illuminating everything in an orange-purple glow. I set off to the forest on my own while everyone was still asleep. On the way I bought a mix of different seeds and the cashiers looked at me a bit strangely. Once I had found a space with fair soil crouched down. As I leapt upward I twisted in mid-air and threw the seeds into the ground. I landed gracefully then began focusing my chakra. "_This is what I call chakra control training_", I realized I had created a training exercise for myself. I pushed my chakra into each seed trying not to over-do it. If I put too much chakra at one time the seed would explode but if I put too little then it would only wear the seed down till it was no longer usable. As the day wore on I kept trying harder and harder. It got a little easier but not as much as I wanted it to. I repeated this process over the next few days as did Naruto and Sasuke. It had been six days since we had arrived at Tazuna-san's home. Tonight came faster than I would have liked and I was covered in dirt and sweat from exploding seeds and strain to my body. The moon was high in the sky and my stomach screamed at me. "_Hmm… I haven't eaten a real meal all day. They probably have dinner started. I guess I can go get some food then come back_." I pulled one of the luckier tomatoes from its vine, "_I'm sure Sasuke will be pleased_", I laughed to myself. Everyone stared intently at me as I entered the house.

"You look like hell", Kakashi-sensei commented cheerily.

"We were wondering where you were", Naruto said with a bit of worry in his voice.

I tossed the ripe tomato to Sasuke who caught it easily, "Where'd you get this?"

My lips twitched in the ghost of a smile as Tazuna-san observed the fruit closely and with wide eyes, "I haven't seen a tomato like this in ages."

I didn't respond to their comments and only took my seat at the table. Inari-san's mother served my bowl and I nodded gratefully at her.

"You don't talk much do you", Tazuna-san questioned.

"Try never", Sakura corrected.

Chatter slowly started up around the table about nothing of specific importance and I ate happily. I was pleased with my progress even if it wasn't completely where I wanted to be. At the end of the meal we all set our plates in the middle.

"The bridge is almost finished. I have you to thank for that", Tazuna-san gestured to my team and I.

"Remember you've still gotta be careful", Inari-san's mother stated.

"I have a question. Why did you all stay and help me even after you found out I was lying", Tazuna-san asked.

"'Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader cowardice cannot survive'; the first Hokage said that", our sensei responded.

I heard the sound of water hitting the table and noticed that Inari-san was crying, "But why?"

"What was that", Naruto lifted his head.

"All this training is just a waste of time! Gato has a whole army! He'll beat you down! All these things you say won't mean a thing! No matter what you do the strong always win and the weak always lose", Inari-san burst out.

**So do like what I'm doing here? I want to make Shizue help the village. The next chapter will have loads of action! It's going to be fun. Anyway hope you guys enjoyed. Two votes for Sasuke and five for Gaara so far. Hehe I can't wait for the Chunin exams. Please leave any critics or praises you may have. Buh-Bye ~Kue **


	7. Chinmoku Slipping Through

**Kue: Yo!**

**Naruto: Hey guys!**

**Kue: I finally decided to bring Naruto alone *whispers* he forced me to.**

**Naruto: Yep! If I'm going to be Hokage then I need to show that I can talk to audiences and stuff like that. It's super important. Getting people's opinion is important too. Like what's you guys' opinion on ramen. I love it. Just thinking about ramen… *drools***

**Kue: Um… Naruto? *pokes* Did you forget what I brought you here for?**

**Naruto: OH! Sorry. Hehe, Kuesuno doesn't own Naruto otherwise things would be a lot different.**

"Speak for yourself", Naruto dismissed.

"Why don't you shut-up?! Just looking at you makes me sick", I narrowed my eyes at the boy, "You don't know anything about this village! Always laughing and goofing off! You don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt."

I abruptly stood from my spot with my fists tightly clenched and the boy jumped. Inari-san had crossed a line and apparently not just with me, "Listen to you whining and complaining like some pathetic little victim. You can cry all day for all I care. All you are is a coward", Naruto spat.

"That's too far Naruto", the banshee scolded and I set her with a cold glare.

The blonde pushed away from his seat and walked off. I was silently fuming, "_I need to calm down. Looks like it's time to go back to training_." I stalked off towards the forest. For the next few hours I continued to train myself to grow the regular seeds as best I could. The training successfully brought me down from my rage. I felt a heavy fatigue weighing on my eyes, "_Maybe tonight… I'll get some sleep_." I tip-toed into the house so I wouldn't alarm my sleeping comrades and laid down on my bed. Slowly I let my eyes slip closed. When they opened again it was to sunlight pouring in from the window. "_No visit to Chinmoku? That's… odd_." I got up and headed towards the bath; lucky for me it was currently empty. My body felt grainy and repulsive due to all the training I had done. The hot water was extremely welcome. I washed away the impurities that littered my body then got dressed in fresh clothes. Checking myself in the mirror I fixed my hair so that it would get in the way of my face. A sparkle caught my eye and I noticed the way the light glinted off my snake scale. I sighed mournfully, "_Nii-san_." I rarely allowed myself to think about him. Now shouldn't be one of those times; that familiar twisting feeling was present since the moment I woke up.

After finishing washing up I walked into the dining room. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke were already awake. The Uchiha ate at a steady pace while Kakashi-sensei had his nose in his disgusting book. I sat down next to Sasuke and Tsunami-san (Inari-san's mother whose name I learned just last night) served me a bowl. I ate contently but couldn't shake the grip growing tighter in my gut. "_I'll just have to be on guard today and make sure nothing happens_." Around the time that I was finishing Sakura entered. She finished her own breakfast pretty fast and we all made arrangements to escort and watch over Tazuna today.

"Take good care of Naruto for us", Kakashi-sensei waved to Tsunami-san.

Every step towards the bridge set me a little more on edge, "_This isn't good. Something is going to happen. I know it_." Sasuke eyed me quizzically; seeming to have noticed my discomfort. I fully ignored the boy. I didn't want to worry anyone or rise suspicion because it could only cause more trouble. As soon as we arrived at the unfinished bridge a problem was evident. Every last one of the workers was out cold or dead. I scanned the area for the threat though I had a good idea of who it was already.

"What happened? Who got to them?" Tazuna-san was evidently distressed.

A thick fog blurred my vision, "_I knew it_." "Get ready", Kakashi-sensei commanded.

We all stood at attention and I moved my hand into my bag gripping a kunai. "Kakashi-sensei. This is Zabuza's doing isn't it? This is his Hidden Mist Jutsu", Sakura stated.

"Sorry I kept you waiting Copy Ninja", Zabuza's rough voice intervened, "I see you're still dragging along those brats. That one's still trembling."

A Zabuza appeared in front of each of us and I could hear the smirk in Sasuke's voice, "I'm trembling with excitement."

"Go on Sasuke", Kakashi-sensei prompted. Sasuke struck down each water clone with minimal effort.

"Nice job. You could see they were water clones", Zabuza complimented, "Looks like you've got a rival Haku-kun."

Zabuza and the fake tracking ninja appeared from the mist cover. "_So his real name is Haku_." "So it seems", Haku agreed.

"So I was right. It was all just a big act", Kakashi-sensei commented.

"All that stuff about being a tracker ninja all lies", Sakura shouted angrily.

"Big phony", Sasuke commented. I only stared at them with scrutinizing eyes.

"Hiding behind a mask who does he think he is", Kakashi-sensei commented.

Sakura looked up at him, "Ahem. Speak for yourself sensei."

"I'm taking this guy down", Sasuke spoke determinedly and I could swear that Sakura swooned.

The two seemed to be having their own conversation. Suddenly Haku spun towards us like a mini-tornado. I was sure everyone but Kakashi-sensei and myself didn't have a chance of following his movements. I was proven wrong when Sasuke pulled out a kunai and stopped Haku dead in his tracks; senbon against kunai.

"Sakura stay close to Tazuna-san. Shizue come here", Kakashi-sensei commanded.

I approached him obediently and watched as Sasuke and Haku tried half-heartedly to land blows on each other. They murmured something to one another then Haku began performing one-handed signs. "_I've never heard of anything like that_", I could tell Chinmoku hadn't seen it either because he was silent.

"Secret jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death", Haku muttered as the water around the boys rose up and turned to sharp shards.

The ice senbon hovered for a moment ominously. With precision the needles all closed in towards Sasuke but just as they were about to meet their target the Uchiha launched himself into the air. "_Nice chakra control Sasuke_." He pushed Haku back with three shuriken.

"You're not as fast as you think. From now on you'll be defending against _my_ attacks", Sasuke said matter-of-factly.

The two clashed kunai and Sasuke threw another he had hidden forcing Haku to dodge only to be kicked onto his back.

"You made an enormous mistake insulting these ninja. That's guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude. He is one of the best young fighters in the hidden leaf village and Sakura here is one of our sharpest minds. Shizue is our little ball of surprises; excelling in both mind and physical combat. Finally our number one hyper-active knuckle-head ninja; Naruto Uzumaki", Kakashi-sensei gloated. I felt a sense of smug pride at the praise.

Zabuza chuckled deeply, "Haku if we continue in this manner we will end up dead instead of them. Get on with it."

"Yes Zabuza-sama", Haku stated dutifully as his chakra levels began to rise exponentially.

"What is that", Sasuke asked.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this", Haku's voice held true regret.

"It's… cold", the Uchiha muttered. "_He's right. The temperature around him is dropping fast. What is this jutsu_?"

Haku used a hand sign I couldn't quite make our and a glass mirror-like object appeared behind my comrade, "Secret jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors."

Several mirrors now surrounded Haku and Sasuke but there was enough gap that you could see the two figures clearly inside. The mirrors began to glow a bright white and somehow Zabuza's subordinate molded into one of the closer mirrors. "_Chinmoku_?" Nothing came to mind; this wasn't something that any other ninja could do. All the mirrors appeared with the image of Haku and I wondered idly if he had used a clone jutsu or if that was just another effect of the jutsu. I made a move at the same time as Kakashi-sensei; running towards the dome of mirrors but Zabuza's body stopped us.

"If you enter this fight you fight me", his comment wasn't just directed at Kakashi-sensei. Zabuza quickly created a water clone at full power and had it stand in front of me, "That boy has no chance against Haku's jutsu!"

I heard grunts from Sasuke's direction and looked around the clone to see the Uchiha being struck by Haku who was throwing senbon. "Sasuke", Kakashi-sensei called; alarmed.

The kunai Sasuke previously held was struck from his hand and landed in the ground in front of Sakura, "Sasuke-kun!"

"Just try to help him and I'll kill the other three in a heartbeat", Zabuza growled.

Sakura muttered something to Tazuna-san before grabbing the kunai out of the ground. She charged forward towards the mirror dome and jumped high in the air, "Take this!"

The kunai zipped towards Sasuke but was stopped short by Haku, "_Wonderful. Just great_", I thought sarcastically. I felt Naruto's presence nearing as Sasuke half collapsed, "_Finally done with his nap_." A shuriken shot from the mist and smacked Haku dead in the face causing him to fall out of the ice. Grey smoke rose into the air as small explosions went off, "_Is this all really nessasary_?" Haku pushed himself up and a long scratch was visible on his mask.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu", Naruto was about to perform his signature jutsu, "_Fool_."

"No", Zabuza growled while throwing four shuriken towards the blonde unfortunately for the criminal his subordinate threw four senbon at the exact same time to stop his master's attack and they cancelled each other out.

"What are you doing Naruto-baka? Are you crazy?" The banshee's voice was shrill.

"This isn't a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your jutsu so quickly", Kakashi-sensei scolded, "A shinobi's art is deception. Keep them guessing and distract them. You just turned yourself into a human target if you enter a battle that way."

"I'm sorry", Naruto yelled embarrassed.

"There's another mystery here", Kakashi-sensei muttered.

"Haku what are you doing", too angry to bother with the honorific.

"Zabuza-sama… this boy let me fight him my own way… please", Haku pleaded.

"Bring it on", Naruto challenged.

Zabuza paused, "You want me to leave this to you, huh Haku?" When he received no response he continued, "As usual; you are too soft."

Haku bowed his head like he was shamed, "Forgive me."

"I'm warning you now! I'm going to get rid of that stupid mask and rip you to shreds", Naruto shouted with a finger pointed rudely at the boy.

Kakashi-sensei tensed like a cat ready to pounce and the real Zabuza took a step closer to him, "Don't even think about it. You already know how it works. You go after Haku and I go after the bridge builder. Relax Kakashi. Sit back and enjoy the show. Let's see how they do."

Naruto was yelling something at Haku but I wasn't particularly in tune with what was going on. Zabuza was very close to me at this point. All his energy was feeding into Chinmoku. I could feel the wolf-fox trying to repress his feelings. We had had a conversation about letting things go a little too out of hand after I charged at Zabuza and got myself hurt last time. Something else was bothered me about the previous encounter though; even when I was thoroughly enraged and Chinmoku was practically clawing at his cage I had never been overcome so much with blind need for battle. The seal might be weakening after so many years. I was brought back from my little world by the shouting of Naruto and Sasuke. Somehow Naruto had ended up inside of the mirror dome _with_ Sasuke and Sasuke was shouting at him for being stupid and not taking advantage of their positions inside and out.

The little Uchiha seemed royally ticked off, "That's it! I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!" He performed hand signs that I recognized instantly, "Fire style:-"

"What are you doing", Naruto questioned.

"These mirrors are made of ice. What destroys ice baka? Figure it out. Fire Ball Jutsu", a great ball of fire collided with the mirrors but the scalding heat did almost nothing to melt the thick walls.

"That didn't do us any good", Naruto complained loudly.

"You'll need more than that to melt these mirrors", Haku chided.

The Zabuza clone shifted his way and I watched it wearily. "_Should I try to help them? No he could catch me off guard if I had my back to him_." I was only half watching the battle ensuing between my comrades and Haku. I observed Zabuza's sword closely taking note of its size and running through images of our last fight. The way he moved, how easily he swung the heavy thing, his speed, but most of all I observed his emotional behavior. I heard Kakashi-sensei speak of kekkei genkai and ignored it. Sub-consciously I listened to Haku's strange story and felt a bit of sympathy for the boy.

"Come on guys you can do it", Sakura suddenly cheered loud enough to bring my full attention back.

"Don't encourage them Sakura", she looked up at Kakashi-sensei with a confused expression, "Even if they find a way around that kekkei genkai they still can't win. They lack the will to kill."

Zabuza laughed in agreement, "Konoha has become complacent because they forgot to teach their ninja the most important thing; to demolish all the emotions from their heart. Bury them so that they can do what they need to."

Kakashi-sensei seemed to be contemplating something before he leaned over a little close to my ear, "Do you trust in your abilities to fight the clone?"

I gave miniscule nod and he stood straight once more and Kakashi-sensei went to lift his headband. "Hehe. The Sharingan. You're no fun Kakashi; using the same tricks", Zabuza teased.

Zabuza ran towards Kakashi-sensei with a hand in his back pocket. He pulled out a curved kunai with a blade on the side. The Jounin pulled his hand up to receive the attack, "_Did he let himself get stabbed_?" I decided that I needed to start my own fight. I leapt towards the dome and closer to the edge of the bridge as if I was attempting a rescue and the clone followed me as expected. I could clearly see Naruto's battle now though I was fairly out of range of Zabuza and Kakashi-sensei's conversation.

"So", the clone chuckled as I stopped and faced him, "'Little bucket of surprises' huh? Let's see."

I pulled out several shuriken; holding one in between each finger then hopped into the air. I used my chakra control training as an example as I spun mid-air and let the shuriken loose. Zabuza's clone seemed a little surprised with the attack but dodged none-the-less. I landed in a low crouch and the mist suddenly thickened. I could still see Naruto and Sasuke but the others were lost to me.

"Impressive for a Genin", Zabuza's voice rang out.

I narrowed my eyes and scanned the area, "_They need more time_." I tried to sense his presence but it was hard with all the chakra signatures and not to mention there were two of Zabuza's. A few yards away I heard a buzzing noise and just barely rolled out of the way of a kunai that had apparently been thrown. He was suddenly upon me; his sword held flat against the kunai I had managed to defend myself with. We jumped away then clashed once more. The sound of metal against metal rang out. "_He's playing with me_", it was slightly aggravating. "_Now_!" I pushed harshly away from the clone and activated the seeds I had planted when I threw the shuriken. Roots with razor sharp thorns poked out of the ground and slithered around the area. The clone didn't seem to notice yet. Fake Zabuza disappeared into the mist, "_Yes. Perfect_." I concentrated and willed my precious plants to find Zabuza. "_There_!" I felt the root wrap around Zabuza's leg.

"What's this", he called in surprise.

I smirked slightly and threw a kunai in the exact spot he was caught. I heard a clinking sound, "_Damn. He deflected it with his sword_."

"Very clever. I guess Kakashi-sensei _wasn't_ exaggerating", the clone muttered; now free of my roots, "Maybe I should get a little more serious."

I froze in my spot and scanned the area. Suddenly Sakura's blood curdling scream pierced the thick silence. My head shot to the side but I couldn't see past the mist. I felt Zabuza's clone's presence just in time to move away from his sword coming down toward me. "_I can't afford to get distracted_", I inwardly scowled. "_Maybe I should try to imprison him_", I decided. Once again I searched for him, but this time he was ready; or so he thought. He jumped up and away from the strong plant life. I performed a few hand signs after finding him, "_Flaming Thorn Prison Jutsu_." The roots shot into the air and wrapped around the surprised form of the Zabuza clone. He landed on the ground and groaned as he stood. I could see him now as I walked a bit closer.

He reached behind him for his sword but only succeeded in clutching air and cutting his hand on one of the thorns. He yowled in pain, "What is this?! You little punk", he growled.

He pulled his hands in front of him and began performing hand signs despite getting sliced by a few thorns, "Water style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The familiar stunning dragon rose from the sea and roared. I kept part of my focus on the prison as the dragon lunged forward. I rolled to the side then jumped onto the beast's head. The water on its back attempted to grab at my ankles but I was too fast. I shot forward dropping seeds as I ran. In order to complete my plan I dropped my prison jutsu and activated the seeds inside the thrashing water. The seeds cracked open and sprouts sprung from the water and wrapped around the dragon from the inside and reduced it to nothing. I landed gracefully on my feet. The clone had disappeared again but I could still vaguely feel him. I chanced a glance at Naruto and Sasuke's fight. Everything seemed in slow motion. I watched as Sasuke turned to me with dimmed eyes and needles all over his body. Naruto looked over at me as well. My mouth hung open and a pain gripped my chest; I had lost all focus. Somebody suddenly got in my view and something hard hit the back of my head making things fuzzy. A solid kick hit my chest and I flew out over the edge of the bridge. A ringing in my ears muffled everything. Sasuke was falling backwards and Naruto was catching him; eyes darting between me and the black-haired boy. I turned my head away from the ocean blue eyes and spotted the face of a smirking Zabuza. Things were getting less clear by the second. I heard the faint sound of someone screaming my name; Naruto maybe? I let my eyes slip closed. It felt as if I were flying. The wind caressed the sides of my body.

"_Hmm this is… nice. What is this_?" SLAM! I was woken from my dream-like state by the feeling of my body slamming into the water. Disoriented and head still throbbing I couldn't think straight. Sinking; I was sinking. "_No! No! No! Move body move_", I screamed at myself but I couldn't move my limbs. Chinmoku thrashed around inside me. I was running out of breath. Now my lungs were beginning to fill with salty water. It burned. Almost unconscious now. "_Chinmoku… please… help_."

**Kakashi POV**

"SHIZUE", Kakashi could hear Naruto's very distinct voice screech.

Zabuza cackled like a maniac, "Now that pest is dealt with! Foolish girl."

Panic rose in Kakashi's gut. He used his Sharingan eye to glance over the edge and saw Shizue hurtling towards the water with eyes shut and a peaceful expression. "_No! I won't be able to get to her in time_!" Suddenly a surge of killing intent and powerful chakra weighed down the air. "_Zabuza? No this is different… this is… the Kyuubi_?!" Kakashi's eyes widened at the recognition of the chakra. "_The seal has been broken? No… it's only been loosened. The chakra is only slipping through. We still have time_." The silver-haired ninja popped out a scroll from his vest and just as he caught it another surge of chakra rolled through but this one was different. Calm yet deadly. Kakashi never felt it before yet it was somehow familiar. Some of the mist cleared near the edge of the cliff and above the water. Everyone; Tazuna-san, Sakura, Zabuza, and Kakashi had frozen at the feeling of the repressive chakra. As strong as Zabuza and Kakashi were; being that close to the foreign chakra still sent a tremor down both their backs. Out of nowhere an odd screeching noise pierced their ears and caused a cylinder of sea water to be pushed into the air. The sound reverberated; it was demonic (**Think the banshee screech from Mass Effect 3; if you get that reference**). Not a second after the water had been pushed out of the way roots of all kinds and seaweed shot a column up to the height of the bridge. On top of the plant life was Shizue. The sight shocked Kakashi. Her hair had changed. Half of it from the roots down had switched colors; pitch black with fiery red streak, while the rest look regular. The molten gold eyes glowed bright and she stood in a feral stance. Nails turned to claws and black wispy chakra circled the girl's form. "_Is this the power of Chinmoku_", Kakashi thought warily. He knew that just like Naruto; she had not fully released her demon, not even close but this form was enough. It would scare any regular ninja so bad they would probably wet themselves.

The Shizue creature jumped down from its perch and down in front of Kakashi and Zabuza. Kakashi reached out a hand but she ignored it and stalked towards Zabuza. He suddenly unfroze and jumped backwards as she lunged for him. Kakashi's eyes were wide as Zabuza stumbled over himself. She opened her mouth and let out another will shattering scream. This one was directed full force at Zabuza and the effect showed. Blood trickled out of one ear. She performed hand signs at an inhuman speed and the missing Mist ninja was now trapped in a prison of roots. Kakashi didn't dare intervene but was trying to figure a way to calm her down. She ripped a thorn from one of the roots then held it like a lethal weapon. Zabuza looked at her with fear as she snarled at him; her sharp canines showing. She pulled back her arm but just before she could stab the criminal Haku appeared and was stabbed instead. Her entire form went rigid and her arm dropped from the thorn. The prison released and Zabuza chuckled darkly.

Kakashi took his opportunity and appeared behind the shaken girl, "It's okay now Shizue", he whispered to her.

Shizue's whole body relaxed then collapsed in his arms. He jumped away from Zabuza and set her down on the ground next to him.

"Ha! I didn't even hear him coming", Zabuza joked darkly pointing to his bleeding ear.

**Shizue POV**

My eyes opened slowly to the sound of Naruto shouting at someone. I groaned inwardly and tried to roll over, "_Five more minutes_", but a pain shot through my whole body. I felt a hand on my shoulder and everything came rushing back. Tazuna-san, Zabuza and Haku, Naruto, Sasuke. "_Sasuke_!" Golden eyes fluttered open and I took in the scene in front of me. Zabuza was… crying? Gato and his men stood at the edge of the bridge, Kakashi-sensei was crouched next to me with his hand gripping my shoulder, and Naruto was in shock and also crying. They were saying something but my ears were still ringing slightly. My throat felt sore and the familiar taste of iron graced my tongue. "_Why am I still not healed_?" Chinmoku flashed images through my head. He had helped me but it had exhausted his power to loosen the seal enough to do anything for me. It would take a few hours for all the wounds to completely heal.

"_Zabuza's mask is off_", I observed randomly. For some reason Naruto threw a kunai over to Zabuza who caught it in his mouth. "_What is this_?" What happened next was slightly horrific. Zabuza sprinted towards Gato's men and began cutting them down one by one with the kunai; something was wrong with his arms. No matter how many swords, kunai, saws, spears, axes were pressed into the demon's body he just kept running towards Gato and killing all in his way. I couldn't understand any of it. Drowsiness settled like a blanket over my mind. My eyes dropped; each time I forced them open again something a little different was happening. Zabuza killing Gato. Zabuza thanking Haku. Zabuza falling. Naruto finally noticing me. Everything was getting a little choppier each time. Farther apart. Naruto was leaning over me mouthing something with watery eyes, "_'You're alive'_?" Now Naruto is standing; something about Sasuke. "_Wait… Sasuke_?!" Sasuke standing over me with something in his eyes, "_Relief_?" Snow. And now I was completely blacked out.

When I resurfaced again my wounds were healed and we were back at Tazuna-san's house. I could tell by the smell. My eyes fluttered open and winced at the light pouring in on my face. A hand touched my shoulder and I flinched only to find Kakashi-sensei. On the other side of me sat Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.

"You gave us quite the scare", Kakashi-sensei laughed at my questioning raised eyebrow.

"I want to know how she survived that fall", Tazuna-san walked into the room out of nowhere along with the others.

"Yeah Shizue I was wondering that too", Naruto commented.

I didn't respond. Instead I began to sit myself up. Several hands shot up to stop me but I waved them away. Once I was sitting correctly I looked at Kakashi-sensei with a raised eyebrow again.

"After you blacked out Haku died trying to protect Zabuza from me", Kakashi-sensei tried to lie. I knew it was for my own emotional well-being but while I _was_ awake on the bridge Chinmoku had shown me more than enough to know what I did. My eyes hardened at him and he sighed, "Well after… that. Zabuza attempted to fight me again but I crushed his arms. Gato and his men showed up and told Zabuza that he was off the job. Naruto yelled at him for a bit about treating Haku like trash which somehow got through to the man and I believe you vaguely got the just of the rest."

"_So Gato, Zabuza, and Haku… all dead, and this was supposed to be a 'C' rank mission_", I laughed dryly to myself (inwardly). I felt dirty for committing such a murder; even if I was in a state of unconsciousness. Never before had I taken a life. I knew that as a shinobi that it was completely inevitable but I hoped that I would still have some time. Then again; when did I ever get the time that I so desperately craved.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Naruto, "By the way Shizue you are super heavy!"

A small tick appeared on Sakura's head thinking that he was calling a girl fat but when Sasuke gave an agreeable, "Hn", it disappeared and instead she looked confused.

My brow furrowed briefly before I reached into my sleeve and my fingers rested on my still slightly damp weights. "_That's why_", my mouth made a silent 'oh' with realization. "_How they managed to carry me at all when my weights were probably soaking wet is a miracle_." Kakashi-sensei seemed to have a light-bulb over his head as well then he sweat dropped.

The banshee noticed, "What is it Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hehe I may have forgotten to mention her weights", Kakashi-sensei muttered sheepishly.

"Weights?" Sasuke seemed a bit bothered, "_How did he not notice? We've been sparring for years now_."

"You've been wearing weights this whole time Shizue", Naruto's voice held awe.

I pressed my mouth in more of a set line, "_Their observations skills are so poor_." "How much weight could she possibly have? I mean, she is still just a young girl", Tazuna-san's doubted my abilities.

Sending a harsh glare at him I held up my fingers; first I flashed seven fingers then five. "Seventy-five", Tsunami-san sounded astonished.

Nodding I pointed to both my wrists and ankles, maybe showing off a little but Tazuna-san's insult was unacceptable with how hard I had worked to deal with that much weight. Inari-san and Naruto's jaws dropped. The banshee had a look of bewilderment and Sasuke tried to play off his surprise. The whole room was silent.

Kakashi-sensei coughed to clear the tension, "Anyway we will be able to leave later tomorrow; after the bridge is finished."

My eyebrows pulled together slightly, "_Tomorrow? How long was I out_?"

Kakashi-sensei seemed to catch my confusion, "You were unconscious for close to two and a half days now."

"_That long_", I was a bit astonished. I had never exhausted myself that far. "Yeah, we were starting to think we would have to carry you back", Naruto winced slightly at the prospect of carrying me once more.

"That dead weight would be troublesome", Kakashi-sensei sounded a lot like Shikamaru in that moment.

"Oh! That reminds me. Weren't we going to visit Zabuza and Haku's grave after we checked on Shizue", Sakura intervened.

Naruto jumped up, "Yeah, that's right! You should come with us too, Shizue, if you can move."

"You shouldn't rush her", Tsunami-san scolded.

I waved if off and began to push myself further up then stood and the others followed suit. The rest of Team 7 led the way to a hill overlooking the village. Zabuza's enormous sword jutted out from the ground and two wooden crosses sat side by side. Everyone had a remorseful air about them. Sakura crouched down in front of one of the crosses.

The pinkette turned to our sensei, "Is that really how it works Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmm?"

"Is that truly the 'ninja way'? To use and be used by people like tools", she elaborated.

"Shinobi are all merely tools to be used in the hands of destiny", Kakashi-sensei responded, "Not right nor wrong. It's the same even in Konoha."

"If that's really what being a ninja is then something is truly wrong", Naruto commented, "We go through all this training just to end up like those two?"

"What is the reason for that", Sasuke joined. "_Even the Uchiha doesn't understand_."

"Well… that's a question that lacks an answer. That's something that us ninja have to deal with every single day."

A pregnant silence followed Kakashi-sensei's words until Naruto suddenly spoke, "Okay! I've decided that I'm going to find my own ninja way! Believe it. The way that lacks regret and is good; from now on I'm following the way of Naruto!"

"_He's so determined and kind-hearted. It's hard to believe that such an evil and bloodthirsty demon resides within him_", Naruto was truly capable of making anyone believe. Something he said caused me to snap my fingers in reminder. "_If we are leaving tomorrow then I need to get them their crops_."

Kakashi-sensei turned his head to me, "What is it?"

I gestured for them to follow me and they did. First I took them back to Tazuna-san's so that I could retrieve the old man, Tsunami-san, and Inari-san. After that I guided them through the woods to my training spot; despite their protests. I lined them up near the trees and gave them a signal to stay there. Standing in the center of the clearing I pulled out the seeds I had left and focused my chakra on my feet. I pushed off the ground and twirled in the air; effectively burying the seeds in the earth. Sasuke had an eyebrow raised as well as Kakashi-sensei while the others just looked utterly confused.

"What are you doing Shizue?" Naruto questioned.

I ignored him and instead my brow furrowed with concentration. "_Come on Shizue; you can do it_."After a few seconds almost all the seeds sprouted and fully ripe crops emerged from the ground all at once. Tazuna-san and the rest of his families' jaws dropped and my teams' eyes widened.

"Woah! How did you do that", Inari-san excitedly asked.

"Hn", Sasuke agreed.

I approached the shocked bridge builder and his daughter then bowed to them lowly. I gestured to the plants sending a clear message; 'they're for you all'. A tear rolled down Tsunami-san's cheek.

"Thank you, thank you! This is more than we could have ever asked for", the motherly woman cried.

After they said their thanks the little family of three hurried to inform the village of the many plants I had grown for them. That night we had a large feast for dinner which was welcomed to my grumbling stomach. A pleasant grin resided on my face as I star-gazed; unable to sleep. In the morning we prepared to leave and everyone seemed quite happy to be heading back to Konoha. By the afternoon the bridge was completely finished and we stood at the huge archway about to make our way back. All the workers, some of the villagers, and Tazuna-san's family stood to bid us safe travel.

"We could have never done this without you all", Tazuna-san stated gratefully, "Words can't express how much we will miss you."

"Be careful you all", Tsunami-san warned.

"Thank you for everything", Kakashi-sensei answered.

"Don't get all chocked up! We'll be back to visit soon, 'kay?" Naruto flashed a friendly smile.

"You promise", Inari-san's voice quivered with unshed tears.

Naruto was getting teary-eyed as well, "_Oh no_." "Yeah of course. You know Inari-kun it's okay to cry." The two bickered until they were both in tears.

As we walked across the newly built bridge Naruto began yammering, "I can't wait to tell Konohamaru about all my adventures and then Iruka-sensei will get me a bunch of ramen from Ichiraku's!"

"Hey", the banshee looked over at Sasuke.

"Yeah", Naruto was so oblivious.

"Not you Naruto. Sasuke…", she blushed a bit, "when we get back do you maybe want to go on a… I mean do you wanna go do something together?" "_Pathetic fan-girl_", I thought scathingly.

"I don't think so, but thanks", Sasuke shot her down.

"Oh okay", Sakura was obviously disappointed.

Naruto took his chance to jump in, "Sakura-chan; I'd do something if you want."

"What?!" The pinkette growled an began throwing Naruto around but I quickly intervened; pulling the blonde away from her.

The rest of the walk back went similarly though I was pleased that we didn't run into any unwanted enemies. When I finally spotted the large gate to Konoha looming ahead a jolt of excitement shot through me; it was nice to be back. The guards at the front greeted us kindly and Hokage-sama handed us a nice pay-out for the job. I suspected he might have added some cash for the extreme ordeal. As I approached my apartment a thought occurred to me, "_The Chunin exams are beginning soon aren't they Chinmoku_."

**Hey guys, sorry this update was a little late; I was with a friend and didn't really have wifi. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It gave a little taste of Chinmoku's power. I want to tell you guys how happy I am about the instant feedback I got from the last chapter. Seeing all the support really made me smile. Thank you **_**so**_** much! Now that we are moving into the Chunin exams things are going to get more set in stone. We finally get to see Gaara *swoons*. Anyway I appreciate any critics or praise. Buh-Bye ~Kue**


	8. Meeting New Opponents

**Kue: Hey again! Got this one up fast huh?**

**Gui-sensei: Ah yes! The power of youth! It can take you anywhere… *continues rambling***

**Kue: Um… Gui? *sweat drop* please just do the disclaimer…**

**Gui-sensei: Of course! It would be most un-youthful for Kuesuno to claim that she owns Naruto because she does not!**

A week passed with a constant of 'D' rank missions that seemed rather dull in comparison to our mission in the Waves. Today started early for me. I made myself a pleasant spicy bento lunch and stopped by the shinobi supplies store to pick up four ten pounders to add to my weights. "_This will definitely strain me to my limit but_...", an image of Zabuza and Haku flashed and my grip on the weights tightened, "_I wasn't fast enough back then. I need to get better_." I placed each ten pound weight in its respective holder on my limbs. Instantly I felt the difference; my body becoming a bit more sluggish and my muscles groaning in protest as I moved but I forced myself to get to my usual pace. I also picked up some chakra activated seeds that I had custom ordered so that I could work on a new jutsu Chinmoku wanted help me with. After that I headed towards the team's usual meeting place and waited for Sakura and Naruto to get there as Sasuke was already there. As expected we stood there for a good three hours before a familiar head of silver hair decided to make an appearance. Kakashi-sensei's arrival broke Naruto and Sasuke from their glaring contest.

"Hey guys! Sorry about my tardiness. I'm afraid I was lost on the path of life", he greeted kindly. "_That man needs a good smack to the head_", his excuse irked me.

"WHA-", Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison.

After we got the two to settle down Naruto began making demands for the mission… again. "I'm ready for the next mission sensei, but no more of this kiddy stuff! I'm ready for something bigger. I want a chance to prove myself; a real mission! Believe it!"

"Right… that great and all but would you calm down", Kakashi-sensei put his hands up in a defensive manner.

Naruto turned to glare at Sasuke and seemed off in his own world, "BELIEVE IT!"

"Let us know when you're done fantasizing so we can get started", Kakashi-sensei suggested.

"Right", the blonde confirmed. I wanted to roll my eyes at the boy but held down the urge.

"Is there any way that you can stop being so annoying", Sakura complained loudly.

Naruto grumbled the whole way to our 'D' rank mission but seemed to gain some vigor when we got there. He had gotten so competitive since the Wave mission that it was ridiculous. I had to regrow all the herbs that he had accidentally pulled up in his effort to beat Sasuke. After that he almost fell of the edge of a cliff and into the base of a waterfall while we were collecting trash from a river. Sasuke had to catch him to stop him from plummeting to near death. Finally he had to choose the largest dog to walk and got pulled into a mine field. It took the efforts of all three of us to drag him out of it. Sakura and Sasuke had to carry him back.

"You're hopeless Naruto", the banshee commented.

"You really are a loser", Sasuke taunted. I just closed my eyes when the blonde looked at me for help; his attics were starting to grate my nerves.

Naruto growled and pulled away from the two, "Sasuke!"

The pinkette's arm shot forward to stop Naruto from charging, "If you keep this up I'll finish you off myself!"

Kakashi-sensei let out an exasperated sigh, "We aren't making any progress on the teamwork apparently."

"That's right and it's all Sasuke's fault", Naruto agreed as he turned to the raven, "You think you're better than everyone else!"

"Not everyone", Sasuke corrected. "Just you. Accept it; I'm faster and stronger than you. Unless… that is, you want to prove me wrong."

The two began a glaring match that Kakashi-sensei decided to break, "Alright guys… let's call it a day. You can fight each other later. I need to file my report on the mission anyway."

"Whatever. I'm out of here", Sasuke grumbled.

"Wait up Sasuke-kun! Let me come with you", the fan-girl hurried off to catch up with her 'Sasuke-kun'.

Naruto reached out his hand towards the back of the pinkette in defeat and I placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. We could hear Sakura's little conversation, "Sasuke-kun how about we got out and do something together? You know, to improve our team work."

"I swear you're just as bad as Naruto", the blush on Sakura's cheeks disappeared at Sasuke's comment, "Instead of fawning over me why don't you work on your skills? The truth is… you're worse than Naruto."

"Don't worry about him Sakura-chan! You and me can develop our teamwork a bunch", Naruto's spirits lifted as he took his chance. All sympathy for the boy dropped, "_He really needs to stop with this banshee. Didn't Sasuke just get finished scolding about swooning over someone_?"

A tick appeared on Sakura's forehead and Kakashi-sensei took his leave in a puff of smoke. I flash-stepped to the top of a near-by tree to watch the on-coming show. When Naruto turned around neither I nor Kakashi-sensei could be seen but for some reason there was a fake rectangular rock sitting behind him. Each time the blonde would take a step the rock would follow, so they started a chase. It was mildly amusing. When the person, or should I say persons, under the box were revealed Naruto seemed a bit bored. "_So this is that Konohamaru boy he's been talking about. The Hokage's grandson if I remember correctly_." The three kids began requesting that Naruto play ninja and a very down-trodden Sakura approached the group.

"A shinobi playing ninja? That is so lame", the banshee commented.

"Hey Sakura-chan", Naruto jumped a bit at her sudden appearance. He blushed deeply and began laughing nervously, "_Oh Naruto. You fool_."

"Boss… who's that?" Konohamaru paused for a second, "Oh I get it Boss! Wow, you're a smooth operator! Come on I know she's your… girlfriend", he held up his pinky finger. "_Don't do it Naruto_."

"Hehe well… you can tell she's totally crazy 'bout me huh?" The boy was really in for it now.

"That's it", Sakura exclaimed before ramming her fist into his face; effectively throwing him into the wall.

"Boss", Konohamaru turned to the raged Sakura, "What kind of girlfriend are you?"

"Woah! I think she really got him", the female of the young kids observed.

"You're a witch and you're super ugly", Konohamaru shouted. He was pummeled next.

Sakura huffed as she began walking away and Konohamaru's male friend leaned over him, "Hey Konohamaru are you okay?"

"She's like some alien", Konohamaru began to stand, "Did you see how huge her forehead is?"

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, "_That did it_." She turned almost mechanically towards the group and they all had a sense of dread wash over them. I felt multiple foreign chakra signatures approaching from around the corner and tensed. Of course Konohamaru _had_ to slam into one of the foreigners in his effort to escape the banshee's wrath. The Hokage's grandson fell flat on his back and a boy with a black cat suit and purple paint on his face loomed above him. Behind the strange looking boy was a blonde girl with a giant fan on her back and four messy pigtails. Chinmoku flashed a few images through my head, "_Sand ninja? I didn't know that the exams would be starting this soon. I thought we had at least another two weeks_."

"Do you need something?" The cat-boy asked as he stared at the Hokage's grandson. The sand ninja leaned down and picked up Konohamaru by the collar, "Does this hurt punk?"

"Put him down Kankuro or you know what will happen later", the blonde by his side commanded. I scowled, "_He's trying to intimidate us. He should know better when he is visiting an outside village_."

"Hey I'm sorry. This whole thing was my fault", Sakura intervened.

"Take your hands off Konohamaru right now", an enraged Naruto commanded. "_This needs to end_", I flung a seed into the ground under cat-boy's arm without being noticed.

"We've got a few minutes before _he _gets here. Why don't we have a little fun with these punks", he tightened his grip on Konohamaru's collar.

"Let go you jerk!" Konohamaru attempted to kick the sand ninja.

"You're feisty but not for long", cat-boy commented. I had to wait to see what the boy was capable of before activating the seed and it seemed I would get my chance as Naruto charged at him.

Cat-boy's fingers moved and I sensed his chakra lace from his fingers to Naruto, "_A puppeteer_?" "What was that", Naruto questioned as he fell.

"You're a Leaf Genin huh? Pathetic", cat-boy commented.

"I'll tear you apart if you don't leave him alone", Naruto exclaimed only to have Sakura scold him.

"You're annoying… all of you. I don't like runts", the sand ninja continued talking but I wasn't quite listening instead I was focusing on my seed; gathering my chakra to the right amount.

"Fine do what you want but I'm not included", the one with the fan commented.

I felt Sasuke's presence climbing up the tree below me and several things happened at once. Cat-boy reared his fist back to punch Konohamaru while Naruto charged at him again then Sasuke threw a rock towards cat-boy's wrist at the same time that I forced my little seed to sprout and the stem to wrap around cat-boy's arm and yank down. The rock hit cat-boy just as I was yanking his arm down causing him to drop Konohamaru. Quickly I pushed the sprout back into the ground as cat-boy's other hand came to clutch his wrist.

"Shizue", Naruto mumbled questioningly while staring at the ground where the plant had receded.

"You're a long way from home and way out of your league", Sasuke drew everyone's attention allowing me to go unnoticed for the time being.

"Sasuke-kun", Sakura shouted happily.

"Oh great, another annoying runt to deal with", cat-boy grumbled sarcastically.

"Get lost", Sasuke crumpled the rock he had been tossing and let the gravel blow in the wind.

I felt another presence underneath me but this one was darker, "_How long have they been there? Maybe the third of their team? The _him_ they were referring to earlier possibly_." Sasuke and cat-boy continued to shot back and forth between one another until cat-boy pulled the mummified heap from his back, "_His puppet_?"

"You're going to use the Crow for this", the blonde sand ninja asked incredulously.

"Kankuro", a deep gravelly voice intervened from below me, "back off. You're an embarrassment to our village."

"Oh h-hey Gaara", Kankuro, apparently, greeted nervously.

"Have you forgotten the reason we're here?"

"I-I know, I m-mean they challenged us", Kankuro seemed as though he was searching for the correct response but couldn't find it, "They really started this whole thing. See what happened was-"

"Shut up or I'll kill you", the harsh words caused Kankuro to jump.

"Uh r-right. I was totally out of line. S-sorry Gaara", cat-boy stuttered. "_His energy feels familiar, Chinmoku_?"

The dark boy turned to my team, "Sorry for any trouble he caused you." Chinmoku flashed a few images through my head, "_So… he's got one too. Shukaku huh_?"

With the sound of rushing sand the strange boy finally became fully visible. He had unruly blood red hair that I had a feeling held some level of irony and captivating jade eyes. Just above his forehead was a tattooed kanji for 'love'. "_I'll have to keep an eye on him_."

"Let's go", he stated firmly, "We aren't here to play games."

"O-of course", Kankuro agreed.

They began walking away but Sakura rushed to stop them, "Hold on!"

"What?" The blonde girl had spoken but none of them turned around.

"I can tell from your headbands that you're from the Sand village. No foreign ninja can enter another village without permission; even allies. State your purpose", the banshee demanded.

"You're kidding right?" The group turned and the spunky blonde continued talking, "We have permission. You're right we are Sand Genin and we're here because of the Chunin exams. Get it?"

"Chunin exams? I've never heard of that. Believe it", Naruto was letting his idiot show.

"I believe it alright; that you're a totally clueless", the sand kunoichi responded.

"Boss… those are the exams that every Genin participates in so they can become Chunin", Konohamaru interjected.

Naruto pumped a fist, "Oh then why did you say that? I am so there!"

The Sand Genin turned to leave but this time Sasuke jumped down, "Hey you! Identify yourself."

The blonde girl turned with a slight blush, "Hmm? You mean me?"

"No; the guy with the gourd on his back", Sasuke corrected.

"My name is Gaara of the desert", the red-head replied, "I was curious about you as well."

"I am Sasuke Uchiha", Sasuke informed smugly.

"And you", Gaara turned to my spot in the tree. I narrowed my eyes and everyone else had a slightly confused face.

I flashed jumped down a few feet away from Sasuke. "So that _was_ you Shizue", Naruto commented quietly.

"Your name", Gaara prompted.

"She doesn't speak", Sasuke stated for me, "Her name is Shizue Kuroki."

Silence fell and a breeze rolled through, "Hi there! I bet you're dying to know my name huh", Naruto boasted loudly.

"I couldn't care less", Gaara shot him down without hesitation then moved to finally leave with his teammates.

The Sand ninja were gone but I still felt several foreign signatures, "_Must have been came around the same time as those three_." My eyes traveled to where I felt the energy coming from and I made out three shapes. They seemed to notice me watching them and disappeared quickly. From behind me I could hear Naruto sulking over 'not being as cool as Sasuke' I decided that it was time to leave and shot off to my usual training grounds. As soon as I was there I set to work with the new jutsu that Chinmoku was helping to teach me. Now that I had the correct seeds training would go over easier. I worked until I was ready to drop then went home and laid down in a half conscious state of rest. When the sun rose once more I went down to the usual meeting place and waited with the others. Sakura was evidently getting tired of Kakashi-sensei's tardy habits.

"Why? Why?! WHY?! He set's a time then forces us to wait hours", she screeched.

"It's not fair", Naruto agreed.

"I rushed here so fast I didn't even have time to blow dry my hair", she complained "_Tch. Stupid fan-girl_."

"I didn't even have enough time to brush my teeth or change my underwear", the blonde put it, "_Too much Naruto_."

"You didn't? That's… gross Naruto", Sakura commented.

Kakashi-sensei decided to make is entrance now, "Good morning everyone! Sorry I'm late. Afraid I got lost on the path of life." "_That excuse again_?"

"You liar", Naruto and Sakura pointed accusatory fingers at the Jounin.

"I know that it's a bit short notice but I recommended you all for the Chunin exams", Kakashi-sensei informed, "Here are the application forms."

"Application forms?" Sakura sometimes didn't seem as smart as she was made out to be.

"Of course Sakura. It's completely voluntary; if you don't feel quite ready you don't have to participate", Kakashi-sensei answered.

"Alright", Naruto shouted while attaching himself to Kakashi-sensei's neck, "You rock!"

"Don't slobber on my vest", Kakashi-sense chided while setting Naruto down, "Whichever of you wants to take the exams come to room 301 at the academy with your form filled out. It will be at three pm five days from today."

"Hahaha! Chunin exams! Chunin exams", Naruto chanted.

Kakashi-sensei handed us each a form then left to take care so 'something'. "_Probably just going off to read that perverted book of his_." I looked at the green application form in my hand, "_I'm definitely going and so is Sasuke, but what about Sakura? We only need three people but if the pinkette backs out then Naruto probably will too; then we'll be stuck as Genin for another six months until the next exam_." Naruto seemed off in dream land and Sasuke had a determined look in his eye, "_Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Naruto will participate regardless of the banshee's decision. Better safe than sorry though. She better say yes_." As the day wore on I noticed many Genin coming through the gates for the Chunin exams. Some of them much older than others but none of them seemed to be rookies like us. I spent the rest of the afternoon and night training without pause and not bothering with heading back home. The sun began to rise again signaling morning and I decided to take a break. I spent an hour or so cooling down and stretching. Already I was beginning to get used to my extra weight due to the vigorous training but I was still strained. Once I judged it an appropriate time I headed into the village to get some breakfast. I entered a BBQ restaurant and instantly spotted Kiba with Akamaru sitting alone in a both.

Without hesitation Akamaru jumped from the table and attempted to tackle me while licking my face. Kiba laughed at the sight and signaled for me to join him. I walked over and sat across from him.

"Wow Shizue you smell like awful. You must have been training really hard cause you need a bath", the Inuzuka teased.

A ghost of a smile crossed my lips, "_Even after months of not seeing each other he's still so friendly_."

"Oh! Did you hear about the Chunin exams? I got entered by my sensei", he gloated with a proud smile.

I nodded and held up my own application form to show him that I'd be entering as well.

Kiba's smile broadened, "That's awesome! I can't wait to beat you into a pulp with all my great new moves. Right Akamaru?" The white dog yipped in confirmation and I had to bite back some laughs. "By the way you can help yourself", he gestured to the sizzling pieces of meat that were placed on the grill.

I nodded a thanks and picked up a few pieces and ate them quickly. I was far hungrier than I expected and Kiba laughed at my current eating habits.

"You really were training hard huh? How long have you been out there", he asked while I threw back my twelfth slice of meat.

I paused from my eating and thought about it for a second before shrugging and flashing ten then five fingers.

"Fifteen hours?! That's not exactly healthy", he laughed, "Looks like I'm in for a real challenge at the exams huh?"

I nodded and continued eating. After the meal and friendly conversation (well Kiba talking and me giving silent signals that I was listening) I went back to training. A familiar energy appeared after a short time, "_Iruka-sensei_?" I turned around and was greeted by a short man with a hat that had white cloth hanging from the edges and a mask covering his face. His eyes were a milky tan and he wore a large cloak. "_A transformation jutsu… but why_?"

"Hehe so you're a Leaf Genin", Iruka-sensei taunted in an odd strained voice, "_What's this about_?" "A weakling kunoichi like you shouldn't even consider going into the Chunin exams." "_Oh I see_."

I threw a kunai towards him which forced him back and he started to make a retreat. I followed him only to have to dodge several booby traps placed strategically to get in my way. After chasing him for a good fifteen minutes I finally managed to pin him to a tree and flung a shuriken into his shoulder. Iruka-sensei went up in a puff of white smoke, "_A clone_!" I looked for his Chakra signature and found it retreating a few yards away, "_Oh no you don't_!" Shooting off in Iruka-sensei's direction I soon found I couldn't catch up with him; especially not with the extra weight I recently added. Sighing in defeat I headed back to training.

The next few days passed without a hitch and now it was the night before the exams. It was another sleepless night for me and I decided to roam the village to pass time. I hopped onto my roof so I wouldn't gain any unwanted attention from late night drunks or adults telling me to head home. Travelling roof to roof I began sinking into my own world thinking about the exams and training. It wasn't until I felt a familiar dark presence that I was snapped out of my thoughts. Only two buildings ahead of me sat the Gaara boy who was gazing at the almost full moon. I stopped in my tracks on the next roof and he turned his head towards me. We stayed motionless simply staring at one another. "_His eyes… they're so sorrowful and lonely. I've seen those eyes… in the mirror and on Naruto. Every Jinchuuriki has them, but I wonder… what gave him his? What made him chose the red stained path_?" Now that I had a better look at him the boy was quite handsome despite his cruel demeanor. His cool attractiveness vaguely reminded me of a certain Uchiha and his many fan-girls; the difference was this one actually hurt people whereas Sasuke was just mildly rude. We continued our silent observation of each other for another few minutes. Deciding he was done with this he turned to look back up at the moon. I pivoted on my heel and went back to my apartment, "_Maybe I can force myself to sleep_."

As morning settled in I felt a bit of giddy excitement course through my veins. I couldn't wait for the Chunin exams. "_There's no way I'll let this chance get away from me_." The streets were already busy with parents buying presents for their Genin children and little kids scampering about playing ninja. It seemed everyone was excited for the upcoming exams and so soon too. When I arrived at the front of the academy Sasuke was already waiting there and Naruto was fast approaching. We waited for another twenty minutes before Sakura finally got there.

"Sakura-chan! Hey", Naruto greeted.

She waved back a bit uncharacteristically, "Sorry I'm late." The banshee turned to the Uchiha, "'Morning Sasuke-kun."

"Yeah", was his simple response.

We walked in together and on the second floor we observed many Genin surrounding a door labeled 301, "_A genjutsu_?" I wasn't good with genjutsu. Despite my high intellect I couldn't create effective genjutsu nor could I break them without great effort I could only spot them, but spotting a genjutsu means nothing if you can't release one. Sasuke walked with a bit of swagger as we reached the front of the crowd. I could sense the power of the Genin next to us. One was wearing green spandex that instantly brought me to the thought of Gui-sensei. "_Oh no please don't tell me these are his students. The green one is probably just like him_." Next to him was a boy with milky white-lavender eyes and long black hair that was tied back. "_A Hyuuga no doubt about it. He looks just like the old man from my infantcy_." The last of their group was a young kunoichi with two buns on the sides of her head and also seemed fond of the color pink.

"Please let us through, this is our assigned room", the girl pleaded with a somewhat fake helplessness. "_Their hiding their abilities. We should do the same_."

Bun-girl attempted to walk through them but was slapped away activating murmurs through the crowd. "Harsh? Pft. We are being kind in comparison to the Chunin exams", one of the boys guarding the door sniffed.

"Some of you won't survive and other will go insane. For a Chunin it's always life and death", his companion stated.

"It's not a game. Chunin are qualified to _lead_ missions. Your squad's lives are in your hands so you better be able to handle it", the sniffling one agreed.

"We're just thinning out the herd so just go home and play with your dolls little girl", the second jumped in again.

I took a step behind Naruto; I had a feeling Sasuke had no intention of hiding our abilities, "Real nice speech", the Uchiha was proving me right, "Both of you step aside. Get rid of this pathetic genjutsu as well. We're going to the third floor."

Murmurs broke out once more. "Well well. Good job noticing the genjutsu", the two boys responded. From the way they spoke I was beginning to think this was another rouse these two were probably at least Chunin level men.

"Right Sakura? I'm sure you noticed it before anyone else", yes he was definitely attempting to flaunt our abilities and I would have none of it. I made that clear with a small glare that he caught.

"Huh", the banshee seemed confused for a second before finally catching on, "Of course. I do have the best analytical skills. Yep I spotted it right away; this is only the second floor."

"Right", Naruto agreed and the two 'boys' released the genjutsu.

"Hmph. Well aren't we the smart ones. Let's see you deal with this", the first boy raised his foot to kick and Sasuke moved to counter attack. "_No, we could get disqualified_."

I moved at the same time the one in green did. He caught Sasuke's foot at the same time that I caught the caught the attackers leg. "_I knew he was hiding it. That boy is fast… and strong_." Sasuke seemed just as contemplative and Sakura was plain out astonished.

"Hey what happened to the plan? Weren't you the one that wanted to keep a low profile", the Hyuuga approached his teammate.

"I know but…", the green boy turned to me with a blush steadily spreading across his face. "_What is that look for_", I was utterly confused.

"Never-mind it's over now", bun-girl stepped in, "Let's just forget it."

The green one began stepping towards me and I took two steps back only to have him follow, "My name is Rock Lee my mysterious mistress. Please be my girlfriend", he lifted a thumbs up.

My eyes widened in surprise; I usually kept a cool expressionless constant but I'd never experienced anything like this. "Umm", Naruto muttered in confusion.

"I vow to protect you with my life", Lee stated confidently. I slowly regained my composure then shook my head 'no'. Lee instantly appeared downtrodden, "W-why?"

"Well obviously because you're a weirdo", Sakura intervened and I sent her a glare, "_How dare she judge someone like that… but then again… if he was trained by Gui_", I winced, "_Then he probably is really creepy_."

Naruto laughed boisterously and Lee let his head fall in disappointment. "Hey you, over here! What's your name?" The Hyuuga was looking at Sasuke and I.

A fire lit in Naruto's eyes, "_Him and his competitive tendencies_." "It's common courtesy to give your name first", Sasuke stated.

"You're rookies aren't you", Hyuuga questioned, "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm not obliged to answer", the Uchiha was really trying to tick him off and it was working.

"What's that?!"

The girl giggled behind her partner, "_Oh no. Another fan-girl_." Both Lee and Naruto were in the corner sulking, "A weirdo?" Lee grumbled.

"No one wants to know my name", Naruto complained.

I walked over to the two and placed a hesitant comforting hand on Lee's shoulder. He instantly stood up with a hopeful shine in his eyes and I closed mine and shook my head again. He still seemed hopeful though and I regretted trying to make him feel better.

"Hey guys lets go", Sakura prompted.

As we walked up another flight of stairs I pondered my newest opponents. "_Hyuuga, Lee, Sasuke, Gaara, Naruto; all people to watch out for_." We kept going until we hit a room with polished wood flooring and a balcony. Our destination was beyond the pillars but we were stopped from advancing by a slightly familiar voice, "_How did I not notice him_?"

"Hey you! With the attitude", Lee called.

Everyone had a different reaction, "What do you want", Sasuke knew he was the one 'with the attitude'.

"I want to fight", the bushy-browed boy challenged, "Right here and right now."

"A fight? Right here and right now huh?" Sasuke was obviously holding back his interest.

Lee jumped down from the balcony, "My name is Rock Lee; you said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give their name first. Right… Sasuke Uchiha?"

"So you know me", Sasuke didn't seem in the least bit surprised… more like… pleased.

"I challenge you", Lee got into a taijutsu stance, "I want to test the Uchiha clan's greatness. You will be a good test and also…", he turned to me and that same blush appeared heavily on his cheeks, "_Oh no please no_." "I want to win your heart my love."

"She has a name", Naruto intervened, "_No Naruto don't give it to him_!" "It's Shizue Kuroki."

"Oh my sweet Shizue! I love you", Lee declared.

I wanted to die on the spot but kept my composure. I almost lost it when he started blowing kisses. To stay away from his invisible floating love I jumped to the ceiling and attached my feet there. I walked back to ground level when he was finished.

"Ew. So gross", Sakura put in.

"You've heard of the Uchiha clan yet you still challenge me. You must be even stupider than you look", Sasuke gloated, "If you want to know more then I'll teach you the hard way!"

"Bring it on", Lee became serious once more.

"Hold it", Naruto shouted, "I want to fight this freak first!"

"_Stop trying to show off Naruto_", I sent him a warning glare that he ignored.

"Go for it", Sasuke allowed.

"Naruto", Sakura growled.

"What? It will take nothing more the two minutes to have this guy down", Naruto stated determined.

"No thank you", Lee shot down, "I only want to fight the Uchiha."

I closed my eyes and turned away as Naruto charged at Lee, "Oh yeah! Well news flash: Sasuke couldn't compare to me in a million years."

I heard the thud of bone against concrete and knew Naruto was down for the count. Opening my eyes I walked towards him and pulled him out of the wall. Dragging him back to the group I thought about trying to stop Sasuke from fighting but any attempt would surely be futile.

"Just face it. Your skills are inferior Sasuke Uchiha. You see… out of all the top Genin _I_ am number one. Let me prove it to you", Lee took stance once more.

"Hn. This will be fun. Let's go", Sasuke took stance as well.

"Sasuke-kun; we don't have time! We have less than thirty minutes to register", the banshee attempted.

"Relax. This'll be over in five seconds", Sasuke shot towards Lee.

Sasuke's fist went through air and Lee appeared behind him. The green boy's leg swung around, "Leaf hurricane!"

Sasuke ducked down but was forced to block the follow-up kick. Lee faked out a hand sign and caught the Uchiha's face. That's when I realized, "_The reason I couldn't sense his chakra signature following us was because it's so faint. The whole time he's relied on only taijutsu! Even when we were dealing with those guys on the second floor. It's possible that he can't even use regular ninjutsu_." I sensed Sasuke's chakra flare up, "_He's really going to use it so soon_?"

"I've been waiting to try this out", the raven smirked as he revealed blood red eyes; the Sharingan.

"_That's not going to help if Lee is still physically faster than you, foolish Uchiha_", I chided in my head. Lee proved me right by landing a solid kick to the chin and sending Sasuke flying. The look of utter confusion riddled across Sasuke's face was laughable.

"You see… I use neither ninjutsu or genjutsu. My technique is entirely taijutsu", Lee introduced while beating the life out of Sasuke, "That means straight martial arts. Nothing more."

Sasuke was getting aggravated but still couldn't land a single hit on Lee. "Ah! Sasuke", Naruto had finally come too.

"I know all about the Sharingan. How it can read chakra and analyze what will happen next but taijutsu is different from other jutsu", Lee stated.

"Your point", Sasuke spat.

"It does not matter if you can read my movements because… you are too slow to do anything about it. You know what? Here is what I believe", the bushy-browed boy continued, "There are two kinds of shinobi. Those like you who are born with talent and then there are those like me who work their whole lives to achieve the same talent and better", Lee dodged all attacks that Sasuke threw, "The fact is that your Sharingan abilities are the worst match possible for my extreme taijutsu. Here is what I mean."

Lee planted another solid kick to the hopeless Uchiha's chin. Lee appeared behind Sasuke mid-air, "Dance Leaf Shadow", Sasuke called the move.

I watched as Lee released some of his bandages and Chinmoku flashed a few images, "_The Lotus?! No_!" Many things happened at once. First; I disappeared from my spot and grabbed Sasuke out of the air and away from Lee. Second; a pinwheel nailed the loose gauze to the wall. Third; a summoning turtle had appeared in the middle of the room with a disappointed look in its eye. I flipped Sasuke and I and bounced off the wall to land safely on the ground next to my teammates. Lee's eyes followed me with obvious awe.

"Alright that's enough. Lee", the turtle called.

Lee spun mid-air and pushed off the wall as well. He skidded to a stop in front of the turtle and leaned down in front of it. "You… you were watching us the whole time", Lee questioned.

"Of course and if that girl hadn't intervened you would have used a forbidden jutsu. You know that", the turtle reprimanded sternly.

"I am sorry", Lee sounded truly remorseful, "I didn't not mean to… I mean I was not planning to use a forbidden jutsu. It's just I was in the middle of the fight… and… you understand", Lee was frantic as he continued babbling.

"It really is his sensei", Naruto exclaimed. I shook my head in denial to his outburst. It was only a summoning of his sensei who would surely be here soon and that meant Gui-sensei, "_Why today_?"

I tuned out Sakura and Naruto's rambling and instead focused on Lee and the turtle.

"You're a disgrace", the turtle shouted, "A shinobi never reveals his techniques unless absolutely necessary. You should know this!"

"Forgive me… sir", Lee begged.

"Are you prepared for your punishment", the turtle questioned.

"Yes sir", the mini-Gui accepted.

"Alright then. Please come out Gui-sensei", I felt a dread run through me, "_No! Why did I have to be right_?"

Gui-sensei appeared in a puff of smoke in a ridiculous pose, "Hey there everybody! How ya doin'?" He turned to me, "Hello there most youthful Shizue!" I closed my eyes not wanting to watch the spectacle that was being made.

"His eyebrows are even bigger than Lee's! It's like their alive. That must be where he gets it from. Even the same soup-bowl haircut too", Naruto shouted.

"Hey! Do not insult Gui-sensei he is one of the greatest men in the world", Lee shouted back.

"Sorry for not noticing his greatness I was too busy watching him crawl out from under a turtle", the blonde bit back.

"He did not crawl out", Lee was evidently very protective of his sensei.

"Give it a rest Lee", I heard Gui-sensei command.

"Yes sir", was Lee's quiet response.

"Now for your punishment", Gui-sensei growled. I heard skin against skin then a loud thud. "_Did he just punch Lee?! No! No… I'm not going to look. I don't want to see this_." "I'm sorry Lee but it's for your own good", Gui-sensei's voice was thick with tears.

"Se-sensei", Lee sounded chocked up to.

"Oh Lee!"

"O-oh sensei! I am… so sorry!"

"Alright you don't need to say anymore", Gui-sensei stated, "It's over."

A soft thud told me they were now hugging, "Sensei!"

Gui-sensei continued to mumble something about phases and it being okay. I only squeezed my eyes tighter. "It's actually kind of sweet the way their all hug-y and stuff", I opened my eyes to look at Naruto with a raised eyebrow, "_He can't be serious_?"

"You gotta be crazy", Sakura shouted.

The two green clad ninja's continued on their little conversation and settled on one hundred laps around the training field, "_Not unreasonable for someone as fast as him_." My eyes traveled to the orange leg warmers that Lee wore and I noticed a slight inhuman bulge, "_Weights? Makes sense if he is a strictly taijutsu fighter. I wonder how much he's carrying since its obviously only on his legs. Must be a lot_", I was steadily taking more interest in this fighter (**Guys I mean interest as an opponent. Don't worry Shizue doesn't feel that way for Lee. Poor Lee**). I was tempted to go over to the boy and try to assess the amount of weight he carried. He and his sensei turned to leave but Naruto stopped them.

"Hey wait you can't just go like that", the blonde shouted.

"And what about the Chunin exams? There's no time for messing around", Sakura was right.

"Oh right. I forgot about that", Gui-sensei smiled, "Lee you not only disobeyed the rule against fighting; you also disrupted the Chunin exams. I think that means a bigger punishment don't you?"

"Sir", Lee stood straight.

"Five hundred laps! How does that sound", Gui-sensei struck another ridiculous pose.

"Outstanding sir", Lee agreed. "_That's not what they meant Gui-sensei_."

"They're insane", Sakura stated.

"Probably but what's the deal with that turtle", Naruto agreed.

Gui-sensei looked us over, "Tell me, how is Kakashi-sensei?"

"Do you know him", Sasuke question. I rolled my eyes, "_If only you knew Sasuke_."

**So this chapter had a LOT of dialogue but we will have more action in the next chapter which I hope to post within the next two or three days. Yay for spring break right? I hope you guys liked this chapter and it's pretty much certain that Gaara will have Shizue due to overwhelming demand. I can't wait till I write their romance ;). Anyway I appreciate any critics or praises. Buh-Bye ~Kue**


	9. A Written Exam

**Okay so this time is just going to be a regular intro ^-^. I don't own Naruto (unfortunately) and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

"Know him? Why, it's known that he and I", he paused dramatically, "are arch rival for all eternity!"

"No way", Sakura and Naruto shouted in unison.

A tick appeared on Lee's face, "How dare you! If Gui-sensei says it is true then-"

"Let it go Lee", Gui-sensei calmed. He disappeared and reappeared behind my teammates, "_Show off_." "By my count its fifty wins and forty-nine losses for me."

"What", Sasuke seemed a bit… disgraced.

"How did _he_ beat Kakashi-sensei", Naruto asked with wide eyes.

Gui-sensei pointed at himself with one of his blinding smiles, "The fact is I'm stronger than Kakashi… and faster." "_Yeah right. Half of your challenges are petty games that have nothing to do with true skill_."

Sasuke scowled deeply at Gui-sensei. "Gui-sensei is the best there is", Lee demanded.

"Please accept my sincere apology for Lee's actions", Gui-sensei continued.

It was evident that the raven was getting more and more frustrated at the scene. I sighed quietly and shot a seed that bounced harmlessly off his head. He scowled at me but I slowly shook my head signaling that Gui-sensei was in fact not stronger than Kakashi-sensei, "_If anything they are evenly matched_." He raised an eyebrow but visibly calmed.

"Lee you should accompany these youthful Genin to the classroom. Now", he threw a kunai that collided with the pinwheel and released Lee's bandages.

Now that I took a close look at Lee's hands I realized they were battered and to an extent; burned. He must have trained day in and day out on a regular basis. It made complete sense though. If he was bound to only using taijutsu then to be a successful shinobi he would have to train himself until he broke. Lee was a very strong person to go through all of that just to achieve the status of shinobi. I decided that I would do my best to become Lee's friend despite his strange tendencies.

"Farewell", Gui-sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke along with his summoning turtle.

"Sasuke", Lee called for the Uchiha's attention, "I have not been totally honest with you. Though it true that I wish to test my skill you are not specifically the one I wish to test them against. I know that I said I was the top Genin but that was not true. There is another; he is on my own team." "_He must be referring to the Hyuuga._" Lee continued on, "I came here to defeat _him_. At first you were merely practice but now you are a target. I _will_ crush you. There you have it. Consider yourself warned."

Lee ran off leaving us to walk alone. Sasuke was visibly disturbed by the encounter. "_His Uchiha pride has been damaged_", I laughed inwardly a bit at that. I could see the bickering that was about to start between the blonde and the raven and decided that I would head out on my own to the classroom. I walked quietly for a few minutes before the other caught up with me. Whatever Naruto had said to Sasuke seemed to set him straight.

"Hey you didn't have to run off without us", Naruto complained.

"By the way. Didn't Gui-sensei greet you back there", Sakura mentioned.

Realization dawned on Naruto's face, "Yeah he did! What was that about, do you know him from somewhere?"

I nodded in affirmation and Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "From where?"

I twirled my hand nonchalantly to give the message of a long story. The team huffed; evidently frustrated with my silent and emotionless nature. When we finally reached room 301 the halls were empty except for us and Kakashi-sensei who had apparently been waiting.

"Ah. I'm glad you all agreed to participate; especially you Sakura", Kakashi-sensei let out a sigh of relief.

"What do you mean sensei? Didn't you say it was all our individual choice", Sakura questioned.

"Well yes I did, but the truth is that to participate a team of three is required", Kakashi-sensei stated somewhat off-handedly.

"Really? Even so if Sakura decided against it we would still have three right", Naruto asked.

"That's true, but if Sakura had said no would you really have left her behind", Kakashi-sensei raised an eyebrow and Naruto blushed heavily while looking away. "See", the Jounin laughed, "Anyway you all need to head in there fast it's nearly time."

We entered the room anxiously. It seemed both other teams of rookies from our academy days were there. The whole classroom was filled with anxious Genin waiting for the exams. Some sent us a menacing glare. I walked off into the free corner behind the rookies knowing that they were about to get rather rambunctious. Ino jumped Sasuke as soon as her eyes fell upon him.

"Hey Sasuke-kun", the Yamanka girl screeched, "Long time no see. I've missed those brooding good looks of yours."

"Back off Ino-pig; he's mine!" All fear had left the banshee's attitude as she pointed an angry finger at Ino.

"Ms. Forehead; they let you in? Still got those frown lines on that billboard brow of yours I see", the blonde girl's squeaky voice taunted. "_Their drawing so much attention_", I winced.

"Leave my forehead out of it", Sakura retorted and Ino made a face.

A familiar voice perked up my mood a bit, "Aw man. I knew this was going to be a drag but I had no idea it would be this bad." I personally really enjoyed Shikamaru. He was the only one who ever presented a challenge when we played Shogi.

"So all three stooges huh", Naruto teased.

"Aye pipsqueak you know what? Ah forget it", Shikamaru turned on his heel but when he spotted be he walked over with a friendly smile, "Hey Shizue. After the exam do you want to play a game of Shogi? I think I've come up with some new ways to beat you."

I nodded, our score was eighty-seven wins for me and seventy wins for him. He really didn't like the fact that I had a better score but I knew it was because every now and then Chinmoku would help me work out a strategy to beat him. The kid was really intelligent if only he would stop being so lazy. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back to the steadily-growing-louder group. I noticed that Kiba's team had now joined the group and couldn't help the twitch that tugged at the edge of my lips.

"Looks like the gangs all here", Kiba stated loudly. He caught my eye and smiled widely.

"H-hey Naruto", Hinata's timid voice stuttered out. I really felt bad for the girl. Naruto was so oblivious to not notice her huge crush on him.

I was a fair ways away from the group so I had yet to really be pulled into the conversation. Tuning them out slightly I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cool wall behind me. I began thinking over all the possible opponents I would have. "_Kiba and Shino won't be a problem. Even if they have gotten better so has my melody. Then there's Lee. There is no telling how fast that boy really is. He could be a problem. Also the Hyuuga but I already know his weakness. If I catch Shikamaru while he is planning then I'll be fine and there is no doubt that I could beat Ino and Sakura into the ground. Sasuke is another problem. His Sharingan eyes are hard to beat unless I take off my weights. Then of course there is Gaara. I'm not too worried about his teammates but… he doesn't have as much control of his Bijuu as I and that means he could unleash at power at a moment's notice. There is also Naruto. I would never underestimate him; not in a million years. He is known for his unpredictability. Finally there is all these other unknown ninja. People who I have absolutely no information on other than the power of their chakra and Lee is living proof that that means nothing_."

A sickeningly familiar voice broke me out of my thoughts, "Hey you guys! You might wanna try keeping it low-key."

Alarms rang all though my head as my eyes shot open and I looked at the unmistakable form of Kabuto. Albeit a bit older he was still _here_. He wore a Leaf Village headband and different attire then what I remember. My fists clenched tightly at my side and painful memories flashed through my mind. "_What is he doing here? When did he become part of the Konoha Shinobi force_?"

"You're the rookies right? I wouldn't go making a fool of myself I were you. This isn't some fun class field trip", Kabuto continued to chide but then he spotted me in the corner.

There was an apologetic glint in his eyes but for the life of me I couldn't decide whether it was genuine or not. My brain was muddled; mixed feelings rampaged, "_Well if he's a Leaf ninja now then it's possible that he left Nii-san, but where does that leave Nii-san and this could all be a ploy as well. I don't know! I don't know what to believe! Why would they want to trick us though? Why wouldn't they? I just don't know_", I felt like a helpless child. For once in a very long time I didn't have the answers I wanted. My breathing was rapid and I fought to calm it. After steadying my breathing I made a decision to refrain from doing anything now but keep a close eye on my former housemate. There was a hopeful part of me deep down inside that wanted Kabuto to know something about Nii-san. To be able to let me see him again. I didn't hate Nii-san; I couldn't. I never had any sort of closure. I simply didn't know what I felt for my ex-brother figure. Sasuke seemed to notice my sudden intense stare at Kabuto and my rigid body because I could feel him glancing at me from the corner of his eye and he wasn't the only one who had noticed; Kiba and Akamaru had a concerned look twisting their features.

"Who asked you? I mean… who are you anyway", Ino shouted.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, but seriously just look around you", everyone seemed to realize now just how much attention they had drawn to themselves, "You've made quite the impression. All the Genin here are especially touchy right now. This exam makes everyone tense and I don't think you all want to make them any angrier."

"Uh uh", Sakura's brilliant response.

"You can't help it of course. There's no way you could have known since you're new. Come to think of it you sort of remind me of myself a while back", Kabuto stated.

"Kabuto-san… this isn't the first time you've taken the exam", Sakura's tone was somewhere between a question and a statement.

"No it's not. This is actually my seventh", he seemed sort of sheepish. An unusual occurrence from my memory.

"Huh", Shikamaru seemed surprised.

"Their held twice a year so this is my fourth year", Kabuto amended. "_Fourth year? That means he became a Leaf shinobi shortly after I left. Did he want to follow me? Or maybe Nii-san did something to drive him away_."

"You must really be an expert on this by now", Sakura sounded a bit star-struck.

"Heh. Sort of", Kabuto confirmed.

"Cool! You can give us all the inside tips then", Naruto assumed.

"Some expert; he's never passed", Shikamaru criticized. "_That is strange. Kabuto is strong. If he really was incapable of passing that means these exams are tougher than I thought_."

Kabuto scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile, "Well they say seventh times the charm."

"So I guess all the hype about this exam being tough is well placed. Troublesome", the lazy shinobi sighed.

"Hmm. Well don't throw in the towel just yet. Maybe I can help you kids out", Kabuto reached into his pouch and pulled out a deck of blank cards, "These are my shinobi info cards." Chinmoku helped me out, "_So it's like a bingo book in the form of a deck of cards_."

"What are those", the pinkette asked.

"Erm… well it's hard to put into words. You see; these cards are linked with my chakra and when activated it will show whatever information I've gathered on this exam from the past four years. I have over two hundred of these little things." The silver haired Genin placed a single card on the floor and began spinning it and threading his chakra into it.

"What are you doing", Ino asked this time.

"I'm using my chakra to reveal the secrets", Kabuto gloated. He focused and the card revealed a sort of map. I had to crane my neck to see it.

"A map", Sakura said excitedly then paused, "Of what?"

"It shows the geographical distribution of all the candidates that have been entered this year. Where they come from and how many from each village. Why do you guys think they all come to one location at the same time for this test? It's to foster friendships between nations but more importantly to balance power. This way they can regulate the number of shinobi in each village", Kabuto was completely right. Bringing everyone together like this is a direct way to level out the other villages.

"Balance of power, right", Naruto was trying to keep up a façade of understanding but I could see he was completely lost.

"It makes sense really. If one nation has too many shinobi then it may be tempted to attack its neighbors to gain power", Kabuto concluded.

"Do those cards show information on individual candidates", Sasuke stepped in.

"They might", Kabuto smirked, "Have someone specific in mind?"

"I might", Sasuke threw back.

The information carrying Genin shuffled his deck, "I can't promise you that my information is complete or that it will give you exactly what you want but I've got something on just about everyone here including you all." I wondered what information he had on me. "Just tell me something about them and I can show you", Kabuto prompted.

"First there's Gaara of the Desert. After that Rock Lee of the Leaf Village", Sasuke suggested… more like commanded.

"Awe you're no fun; you already knew their names", Kabuto complained but pulled out the two cards none the less.

He activated them but I was only half listening to what he was saying. The stuff about Rock Lee I had already deduced. My eyes scanned the room and landed on three sound shinobi. I instantly recognized the body shape, "_Those are the three that were spying on us a couple days ago. I wonder if Kabuto has some information on them_." I stepped up to the crowd of my old classmates waiting for Kabuto to finish his deduction of Gaara. What surprised me was the part about him not getting a scratch on any of his missions, "_An armor of some sort_?" I stopped Kabuto before he could go on by snapping in front of his face. He looked up at me with a bit of humor and his eyes told me what he was thinking; 'still as quiet as ever'. I ignored his amused stare and pointed bluntly at the three sound shinobi then back to his cards.

"Ah yes the sound ninja", he smiled and pulled out three more cards before activating all three, "You see; I don't have much information on these guys. Their village is small and sprung up very recently. The only thing I really have on them is that this is their first time here as well. They're truly a mystery for me", Kabuto glanced around the room, "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound; they've sent exceptional Genin this time around. This will be quite an interesting exam indeed."

"T-that's enough t-to make someone l-lose their confidence", Hinata stuttered.

"A fine time to be talking like that", Ino scolded making Hinata shrink back slightly.

Sakura's brow furrowed, "Do you really think it will be tougher this time around?"

"Oh yeah; in these past four years I've never seen such great competition", Kabuto assured, "We've got our work cut out for us it seems."

Most of my fellow rookies were tremendously shaken by what Kabuto had said. Sakura was tense and Sasuke eyed the crowd with slight distaste and subtle worry. Naruto on the other hand was literally trembling but I couldn't tell from what until he started shouting.

Sakura obviously assumed he was scared, "Don't worry Naruto we'll be fine."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to pummel you all! Believe it", he had the smuggest grin I think I've ever seen. I wanted to smack him.

Instead of smacking him I settled for backing into my corner to escape being noticed by any of the other Genin. Even so I felt a pair of eyes watching me closely. My own deep golden met captivating jade, "_Why is he watching me_?" My attention was drawn back to the group of fools I called my friends by the yelling and screaming Ino and Sakura were doing. They all seemed pretty peeved at Naruto's actions. The pinkette even went so far as to begin strangling the boy. I was about to go pull her off when I sensed movement; it was the Sound shinobi. They moved with such speed. Kabuto dodged their advances with the kunai. "_That's some very fast vibrations. That could cause internal damage without even touching him_", but Kabuto dodged that too. He appeared to be fine except from his shattered glasses. "_Maybe not as much vibration as I_-", the thought was interrupted by Kabuto falling to his hand and knees and beginning to wretch onto the ground.

"Put this in your cards; at the end of this the Sound shinobi _will_ be Chunin", the boy standing to the left of, who I guessed was, their leader stated.

A cloud of smoke broke everyone's attention away from the fight and to the front of the room, "Alright you baby faced degenerates", a rough voice greeted, "listen up! It's time to begin." The smoke cleared to reveal a large group of Chunin and a Jounin in front, "I'm Ibiki Morino; your proctor."

Murmurs erupted from the roof and surprised gasps filled any silence that had been established.

Ibiki-sama pointed a finger towards the Sound ninja, "First; Sound shinobi who told you you could fight?! Would you like to fail before we've even begun?"

"Sorry. It's our first time. Guess we're a little jumpy Ibiki-_sama_", the –sama was sarcastic almost and their excuse was transparent.

"I'm only saying this once so listen closely. There will be no combat between candidates without the permission of your proctor and even then fatal force is strictly prohibited… for now. Anyone who breaks this rule will be immediately disqualified. Now if we are all ready we will begin your first exam; a written test. Each of you will come up and turn in your paperwork. After you will be handed a number that determines your seating arrangement; after you are seated the test can fully begin."

Naruto was in a full on panic and I could see why. He was horrible with written exams. None-the-less we each stepped forward and received a number then sat down in our assigned seat. I ended up sitting next to some unknown Grass ninja a few rows behind Naruto. He was in my direct line of sight and I could see the way he was freaking under the stress of his particular situation. I also noticed Hinata sat right next to him, "_Poor girl. He probably doesn't even know she's there, but maybe she will be able to help him_." As Ibiki-sama began to go on about the rules I noticed a few things. "_He keeps saying 'caught'; if you get 'caught' cheating. Don't be stupid enough to get 'caught'. Show your shinobi abilities. He expects us to cheat; wants us to. This isn't a test for knowledge it's a test of how discreet you can be with gathering information. Ibiki-sama is smart; he is also making it worse by making the rules so strict that any slip up could get you thrown out. So much stress can break certain people. Very good Ibiki-sama_."

"The tenth question will be given fifteen minutes before the end. You have one hour total. Begin", Ibiki-sama commanded.

I flipped the test over and began scanning through it quickly. "_These questions… even Shikamaru will have a bit of trouble with these. I'm lucky to have you Chinmoku_", I spoke directly to the wolf-fox, "_I wonder who this Ibiki-sama person really is. These conditions are intense. Some of the Genin in this room may come out of this crying in the end. The tenth question is quite curious indeed_." Quickly I scribbled down the answers for the first four questions. I wanted to go as long as I could before I needed my demon's help. I sensed multiple peoples' chakra flare up throughout the room. "_Hmm it would be interesting to observe peoples' methods_." I looked up from my test and scanned the room. I noticed a bright flash above me. Mirrors reflected answers and when I followed the string it led to Lee's teammate with the buns; Tenten I believe Kabuto called her? A yip let me know without looking that Kiba was using Akamaru as his eyes. I watched as a small bug landed near my paper and a frown tugged at the sides of my lips, "_Oh no you don't Shino_." I picked up the small bug by the wings before it had a chance to settle itself and turned it towards me. I shook my head in disapproval before letting it fly off to its owner. Shino looked at me with a small smile that barely showed over the rim of his jacket. When I looked over at Kankuro I was able to sense his chakra strings, "_Does he really think they won't notice_?"

Finally I decided I needed to finish up with my own test so asked Chinmoku to help me a bit with three more of the questions while I handled the rest on my own. After I was done I looked up and noticed the evident despair that Naruto radiated. "_Oh Hinata you're such a sweet girl_", she slipped her paper under her arm to apparently allow Naruto to cheat. The poor boy was stopped before he could even start by a boy behind him being disqualified. Naruto seemed so shaken by the event he rejected Hinata's offer. "_He probably hasn't realized the purpose of this whole ordeal_", I sighed hoping he would realize soon or else we were all doomed. More and more of Genin in the room were catching on. Just as I was about look around and watch people's strategies once more my left eye began to sting. I rubbed in viciously to get out whatever was in it and squinted my other eye. In front of my paper a small eyeball appeared. "_Sneaky_", I thought. I reached over to the little spy and flicked it, "_Denied_." It swiveled up to look at me. Whoever had sent it was not pleased. It dispersed into sand and the pain in my own eyes stopped. Looking up at the clock I realized we only had twenty-five minutes left. I decided to go ahead and relax but flipped my paper over to stop anymore little spies from catching my answers. Time continued to tick on slowly. Eventually Ibiki-sama's voice rang out again.

"Listen up", he seemed to have a thing for that phrase, "It is time to give out the tenth and final question. Before I give it to you there are a few more rules I must make apparent." Kankuro picked now to return from his extensive bathroom break, "Oh good your back", Ibiki-sama greeted, "I hope you found your trip… _enlightening_. Take your seat." Kankuro walked by slowly and with minimal movement discreetly dropped a folded bit of paper onto his blonde teammate's desk. Ibiki-sama continued with his speech, "These rules are completely unique to question ten. Rule number one: each of you has an option as to whether or not you want to take the final question."

Gaara's kunoichi teammate spoke out, "Hold on! What's the catch? What happens if we choose not to take the question?"

"If one chooses not to take the final question then that person receives a zero regardless of any other answers", his answer shocked me slightly, "In other words you and your teammates all fail. There's more. If you accept the question but get it wrong then you will not only fail but you will be ban from every becoming a Chunin!"

Kiba was outraged, "That's bull! There are lots of people here who have taken the test before!"

"I guess you all are just… unlucky", Ibiki-sama chuckled darkly. "I wasn't the one making the rules in the past but I am this time around. Of course… no one is forcing you to take it."

The whole room was tense. "_I'm not backing down, but what about Naruto? He couldn't even figure out that we are supposed to cheat. How in the world is he going to answer a question with so much riding on it? Then again this could all be another trick, but what if it's not._" Naruto's own inner turmoil was visible by the way he ground his teeth and the slight trembling of his legs. Sasuke was glaring the boy down and Sakura seemed in a state of confusion on what to think.

"Now; for those who don't want to take the tenth question raise your hand", Ibiki-sama commanded, "Your number will be recorded and you will be led away from the room."

There was silence for a good two minutes before a boy next to Naruto raised his hand, "I'm out", the unknown boy announced, "I just can't do it. I'm so sorry."

After him many more hands were raised. One by one Genin crumbled and gave in. Looking over at Sakura I could see the urging look in her eyes; she was silently trying to tell our blonde knucklehead to raise his hand. The boy himself sat there rigid and staring at his desk. I wasn't sure what to hope for. I didn't want this chance to swept away from me; so many great opponents and to be a rookie turned Chunin so soon. At the same time I would never wish for Naruto to be stuck a Genin. He was ridiculed and shunned enough as it was and his dream would never come to life. Sakura had a sympathetic look in her miniscule smile as she began to raise her hand but was stopped by Naruto's own. "_It's okay Naruto. I understand_", I was ready to accept his choice.

The hand stayed there in the air for a good three seconds before it was slammed down onto the desk, "Don't underestimate me! I don't run and I don't quit! You can try all you want but you won't scare _me_ off! I don't care if I get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life; I'll still become Hokage!" "_Oh Naruto_", it was quite the sight and his outburst seemed to have quieted everyone else.

"This decision could change your life. If for any reason you wish to quit this is your last chance", Ibiki-sama warned but none raised their hand, "Very well. Only one thing left. To those of you remaining… you all pass!" "_So it _was_ all a ploy. Clever man_", I closed my eyes in content.

"What do you mean? What about the tenth question", Sakura jumped up.

Ibiki-sama laughed happily, "There never was one. Not a written one at least. Your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait a second. So the other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time", the kunoichi from Gaara's team did not seem happy in the least.

Ibiki-sama began a long winded explanation of his motives and I leaned back in my chair still with closed eyes. Most of what he was saying I had already concluded. I peeked a look when I heard the unmistakable sound of fabric being removed. Both eyes snapped open at what I saw. Scars everywhere; scattered across the top of his head and showing the origin of the long gashes across his face. "_I bet the story behind those is quite interesting_", I pondered. Ibiki-sama continued on to explain the duties of a Chunin mission leader and covered his scars once more. His speech vaguely reminded me of the one that Kakashi-sensei gave Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, and I. It seemed so long ago but I knew it couldn't have been more than a few months.

"There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck", Ibiki-sama smiled.

"Alright we did it", Naruto cheered, "That's one down! Yeah! Yeah!"

Something was coming towards us fast and it quickly broke through the front window. In a few fluid movements several kunai were thrown into different corners and stretched out an enormous sign.

"Get ready; this is no time to be celebrating", the loud woman in front of us called. Her attitude vaguely reminded me of Naruto, "I'll be your next proctor; Anko Mitarashi. You ready for the second test?" Anko-sama didn't wait for our answer, "Good let's go! Follow me!"

Her outfit reminded me of something you might find in one of Kakashi-sensei's books and it made me uncomfortable. Her insane attitude told me that it was possible she was just as bi-polar as Sakura. To be honest this woman creped me out a little. Not to mention… something about her chakra reminded me of Nii-san. I didn't like it, "_Does she know him in some way_?"

"You're early… again", Ibiki-sama poked his head out from behind the sign.

Anko-sama blushed heavily and he shoulders slumped slightly. Snapping back she turned to Ibiki-sama, "How many are there? Ibiki", she scolded, "You let all these guys pass? Your test was way too easy. Getting soft are we?"

"It could just as easily be that we have some better candidates this year", Ibiki-sama suggested.

"Hmm… they don't look the part. Not to worry though; by the time I'm finished more than half will be eliminated", Anko-sama declared smugly.

"Huh, more than half? Really?" Sakura was shaken by the statement. "_This is the Chunin exams I suppose. No telling what's next_."

"Heh. This is going to be fun", Anko-sama ignored the pinkette's question, "Alright maggots! You've had it easy so far but starting tomorrow morning that's going to be changed. Your squad leader will tell you where to meet me! Dismissed."

We all filed out of the classroom hastily. "_Hmm… more than likely the next test will be some sort of field test. I should pack some essentials into a scroll tonight_." Many of the Genin who had passed talked excitedly in the hallways and in front of the academy.

"Hey Sakura-chan do you maybe want to go out for some ramen to celebrate", Naruto tried for another date with the pinkette.

"Naruto", Sakura scolded, "We should be preparing for tomorrow's exam; not going out to eat."

"Yeah I guess your right", Naruto dragged his feet slightly but then he looked at Sasuke and all his determination returned, "I'll see you guys later." He sped off with fire in his eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow Sasuke-kun", Sakura said sweetly before heading off to her own home.

I walked in silence with Sasuke until I reached the intersection that parted our ways. Before I could walk off Sasuke's voice stopped me, "Shizue?"

Turning to look at him I nodded for the raven to go on.

"Make sure you make it to the end. You're one of my targets", for Sasuke that was one of the greatest respects he could give.

I nodded and gave him a look that let him know I returned the sentiment. While walking home I idly wondered whether or not Sasuke wanted to fight Naruto too. Once inside my apartment I pulled out an empty storage scroll and placed a few things in it. First I packed fresh bandages and some extra seeds along with and extra set of kunai (kept in a box) and some clean drinking water. I also placed some paper bombs and trap wire. The possibilities for the next test were endless. Finally I packed an extra set of clothes then placed the scroll into the worn tan pouch that still resided on my thigh. I felt exhaustion settle over me in a wave and I knew that I had a good chance of getting a rare night of full sleep. I changed into my night gown and knee high black tights and laid down to bed; letting unconsciousness take its hold.

Almost instantly I arrived in my mindscape. It had been a while since I had last visited the old house. I was practically giddy with joy to be back. Without having to think about it I traveled to Chinmoku's room and slipped between the bars. For some reason they seemed a bit wider than usual and the seal on the cage was ever so slightly dirtied. "_The seal really took a beating when you helped me huh?_" The demon nodded slightly. I closed the distance between us and indulged in the felling of his fur, "_Heavenly_." Chinmoku seemed to snigger at my actions though I couldn't be completely sure. Sighing heavily I settled down against his paw playing with the wispy black fur. "_We have a lot to think about for the upcoming test. So many new people will require different strategy. Not to mention there are certain Genin that have very strong auras of bloodlust. That could be a problem for you_", I glanced up at where the seal would be on the other side of the cage, "_especially now_." The whole night we 'discussed' plans and possible abilities of our new enemies. Time seemed to go too fast because before I knew it I was being pulled back into reality. "_Thank you Chinmoku_."

**Did you like it? I don't know how I feel about this chapter. I skipped a lot of the speeches because they kind of get on my nerves with how they drag on and on not to mention you've heard them, I've heard them, we've all heard them so blegh. There were a couple times where I wanted to end the chapter but I didn't so I hope that it still sounds good. Don't worry Shikamaru and Shizue are still going to get their game of Shogi :p. Once again next chapter within the next two or three days. I appreciate any critics or praises. Buh-Bye ~Kue**


	10. The Truth of Nii-san

**Kue: Hey again! I'm sorry for being so late. Guess who I brought in to help? **

**Shikamaru: Man what a drag. Why do I gotta be here?**

**Kue: Because I said so :3**

**Shikamaru: I wish I was at home watching the clouds instead of here =.=**

**Kue: You might as well just get it over with so you can leave.**

**Shikamaru: Fine whatever. Kuesuno doesn't own Naruto!**

I felt more than refreshed once I returned to the world I lived in. A disappointed sigh escaped my lips though; I was really hoping to spend some more time with my precious Bijuu. I got up and got ready. This morning was especially bright and the walk to meet my teammates was slow. On our way to the assigned place Naruto began yammering like usual; something about ramen noodles I believe. When we got there I can't say that I wasn't astonished. High electrical fences cased in an ever expanding forest with the tallest trees I've ever seen and sounds from unknown animals echoed through to us. Anko-sama stood at the front of the pack of Genin.

"Welcome to the forty-fourth official training grounds", the creepy woman introduced.

Anko-sama was about to continue her speech when a familiar rectangular rock approached Naruto. Everyone around seemed clueless with the exception of my team. Konohamaru and his friends chased Naruto until he made them come out of their 'disguise'. They claimed they wanted an interview for the Academy newspaper. "_They had a newspaper at the academy_?"

"Oh yeah I forgot about that", Anko-sama laughed, "Hokage-sama did say something about that."

"Uh", a small sweat drop appeared on the side of Naruto's head.

"Alright guys let's take a ten minute break before we really get stated", our proctor announced, "Those who are interviewed be on your best behavior got it?"

"… I thought I was the only one being interviewed", Naruto could be really full of himself sometimes.

"No Boss but you're the _most_ important", Konohamaru assured.

Deciding that this was going to be a waste of time I turned and looked for somewhere to distance myself from the group. Shikamaru was apparently looking for me though because I caught him holding up a storage scroll and waving lazily at me. Interested in what was in the scroll I walked over to the boy. He smirked but in a way that still suggested he had no interest in what he was doing. "_That guy manages to look bored no matter what is going on_."

"I've got the set ready for when this is all over; it was a drag finding all the pieces at home", Shikamaru stated. It took a minute for me to get what he was saying, "_Ah! He put a Shogi set in the scroll_."

I gave him a thumbs up when I felt a tug on my other sleeve. Turning I noticed the girl of Konohamaru's group; Moegi I believe, "H-hey Shizue-san! I-I was wondering if I could interview you for our paper. You're really smart and strong from what I've heard a-and your input would be really great." I raised an eyebrow at the girl.

Naruto approached out of nowhere, "You guys are wasting your time trying to get anything out of Shizue. She _never_ talks."

"Really Boss? She has to talk at some time doesn't she", Konohamaru asked.

"Ah! She's so cool", Moegi squirmed and turned to my pink haired teammate, "You too Sakura-san!" Moegi looked back up at me, "Sorry for bothering you Shizue-san."

The group hurried off to finish their interviews, "_I guess Naruto and the rest were the ones who gave her my name… I wonder what their telling her_." Brushing it off I waited for the break to be done which thankfully wasn't much longer. Anko-sama decided to re-introduce the grounds.

"Soon all you Genin are going to realize why we've nick named this place the Forest of Death", the woman had a menacing smirk.

Naruto made an awkward pose and began mimicking Anko-sama in a childish voice, "'Soon all you Genin are going to realize why we've nick named this place the Forest of Death.' Do your worst you're not gonna scare me off. Believe it", the blonde finished.

"Oh! Looks like we've got ourselves a tough guy", Anko-sama mocked and flung a kunai strait passed Naruto's face making at small scratch that bled slightly. She was upon him in a nanosecond, "You tough enough to handle this? Not afraid are ya? People like you usually end up getting this forest dirty with their blood."

A Grass ninja approached Anko-sama from behind and something about the shinobi's chakra set me on edge, "_That chakra is so… familiar_." Nii-san flashed through my head and I shook it roughly, "_No. No that can't be him. Nii-san was a _boy_ and was most definitely not a young Genin_." The Grass ninja held the previously thrown kunai in her mouth and was almost ripped to shreds by Anko-sama's hidden weapon.

"I was… just returning your weapon", the strange shinobi's tongue carried the kunai in front of Anko-sama like a snake.

"Why thank you Grass ninja", Anko-sama had a friendly smile yet the edge in her voice suggested otherwise, "I really recommend you only stand this close behind me if you wish to be killed."

"Many pardon's Anko-sama. It's just that there was blood and you sliced through my hair… I guess I became… a little excited", the woman had retracted her tongue as soon as Anko-sama had retrieved the kunai, "I meant you absolutely no harm."

"Likewise", Anko-sama stated to the retreating Grass ninja, "Seems like everyone here is a little hot headed this year. Must be something in the air. This is gonna be fun."

"Eh", Naruto squinted at the insane woman.

Anko-sama made it back to the very front, "Before I let you guys start you all of you need to sign these", she pulled out a stack of papers.

"What's that", Sakura asked.

"They're consent forms. While you're in there there is a strong risk that you could die or be seriously injured. These forms tell us that you consent to that risk; otherwise it's my responsibility", the Jounin laughed.

As Anko-sama explained our task, forms were passed back. The test was survival but also to keep important documents safe. I memorized the map she briefly showed us as best I could. "_A Heaven and Earth scroll huh? So already we will be cutting the teams in half but then I also have to consider the possible 'collectors' who will work to get as many teams as possible out of the way. This is definitely a good way to narrow down the numbers_." Five days is quite lengthy but at the same time the best of us will be able to find the scroll fast and get out of the forest making it steadily harder for everyone to get what they need.

"We'll be completely surrounded by enemies. Rest will be nearly impossible", Sasuke commented.

"Right", Anko-sama agreed, "This test measures endurance behind enemy lines. It's going to be grueling and some of you won't be up to the challenge."

Shikamaru raised a hand, "So… mid-exam; hypothetically speaking, could we quit?" "_Same lazy self_."

"Of course not. In the middle of a real battle you can't just say 'sorry I quit'", Anko-sama scolded then smiled, "Well… I guess you could but you'd end up dead."

"What a drag", Shikamaru complained.

"By the way; there are three ways in which you can become disqualified. The first is if your team doesn't make it to the tower within five days. Second if one of your teammates is incapacitated or dead by the end of the exam. Finally it is strictly forbidden to look at the contents of the scrolls until you get inside the tower", Anko-sama listed.

"What if it falls open and you look at it even though you didn't open it on purpose?" Naruto's question was more than unnecessary.

"Let me say it this way; you. Don't. Want. To. Know", the proctor's tone was final.

After telling us where to go for our forms and where to wait Anko-sama let us fill out our scrolls and talk with our teammates. She watched everyone with a close calculating eye. A few minutes passed and a red curtain was place around the box around which we had to turn in our forms and get our scroll. We ended up with a heaven scroll and found ourselves at gate twelve. Naruto boasted loudly that he would beat everyone else and Sakura nodded in simple agreement but there was that same glint in her eye that made me think someone else resided in her brain sometimes. Each second ticked by slowly before Anko-sama's voice rang out loud and clear.

"Alright you maggots! The second part of the exams has begun!"

The doors opened and we walked in casually, "Alright", Naruto called excitedly.

We stayed quiet as we traveled deeper into the forest at ground level but stopped when we heard screaming some distance away.

"I do _not_ like this place", Sakura muttered.

"Eh? What are you talking about this is gonna be a piece of cake", Naruto bragged and then seemed to think for a moment before running towards a bush, "Ehehe I got to… you know? So gimmie a sec."

A tic appeared on the banshee's forehead, "Hey what do you think this is a kennel?" She slammed her fist into the back of Naruto's head, "Go find somewhere out of sight to do that!"

After a few moments Naruto appeared from the bushes and I tensed and reached for my pouch. This wasn't our knucklehead comrade it was an imposter. The chakra signal wasn't the same and it's appearance was not the same. Whoever copied the boy did a sloppy job.

"Oh boy that was refreshing. I think I wrote my whole name", 'Naruto' laughed.

"You pig", Sakura insulted, "You're really dis-"

I interrupted her rant by throwing a kunai at the boy and as he jumped back Sasuke appeared behind him and kicked him in the jaw. "_Ah so Sasuke noticed too. Good._" 'Naruto' was slammed into a nearby tree trunk and slid down hunched over.

"Sasuke-kun? Shizue? What's wrong", banshee questioned.

"Yeah what in the world was that about", 'Naruto' rubbed his sore face but Sasuke was already attacking again. I attempted to get in the blonde's way and stop his dodges but he still managed to get around me, "Watch out Sakura-chan I think these two have gone insane."

"Ha! I'm just striking before you do", Sasuke lunged for the imposter with kunai in hand.

"Alright then bring it on", 'Naruto' followed suit.

I stepped closer to Sakura in case any others came around though I sensed nothing and let Sasuke handle things with the 'Naruto' imposter.

"Sasuke-kun what's going on?"

"Take a close look at him", Sasuke turned his attention to the imposter, "Talk! Where's Naruto?"

"What do you mean? I am Naruto", the person insisted.

"Then where's the cut on your cheek? Guess you didn't realize that Naruto was slashed on the face before the test started. Not to mention that the _real_ Naruto wears his shuriken holster on his right leg not the left", Sasuke explained, "Your transformation skills are worse than Naruto's. Tell me who you are!"

In a puff of smoke a Rain shinobi appeared with an odd attire, "You caught me; so what? I'm still gonna take your scroll! Hand it over!" There was a short pause before the Rain ninja gripped his kunai tighter by a fraction, "Fine then I guess I'll just have to cut you all down and take it from you."

The shinobi charged at us and Sasuke leapt into action. He performed a few hand signs before releasing the Phoenix Flower Jutsu. The Rain ninja jumped back and out of the way before clashing kunai with Sasuke. They both pushed back and the raven ended up following the unknown Genin.

"Help", Naruto squirmed on the ground tied up and I threw a kunai to release him but it had distracted Sasuke enough for the Rain shinobi to attack.

Sasuke dodged the shuriken but was thrown to the ground by a paper bomb. Naruto threw a kunai to push away the ninja and successfully forced him into the air while the Uchiha activated his Sharingan and used his chakra to pick up and throw a kunai. While the enemy was distracted Sasuke jumped up and stabbed him in the shoulder.

"Are you alright", Sakura called.

"Don't just stand there Sakura! Chances are this guy's not alone and his teammates could strike at any second now", Sasuke ordered.

Sakura moved to prepare but I grabbed her shoulder and shook my head signaling that there were no other ninja in the immediate vicinity. The Rain ninja pushed away from the Uchiha with one hand clutching his wound.

"I wish, but no I didn't bring anyone with me", with that the enemy retreated into the forest once more.

We calmed down and regrouped. Sasuke started us off, "This proves that we can't just rely on appearances so we need to come up with a way of knowing that we are who we say we are."

"Alright so what do we do", Sakura leaned in a bit closer.

"We have to make a password", Sasuke stated. "_We've probably got people listening in on us right now… maybe we should try and keep it down_."

"What kind of password", Naruto asked.

"It will be between all of us only", Sasuke thought for a second, "Okay; listen closely because I'm only going to say this once. The question is; when does a ninja strike? The answer is; a ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike."

"Got it", Sakura stated confidently.

"Maybe something a little shorter", Naruto suggested.

"No Naruto that's it", Sasuke said sternly.

"Oh come on! Didn't you get it? I memorized it easy", the banshee sounded almost whiny.

"Yeah… sure I got it", the blonde assured, "I just thought it was supposed to be a pass_word_ not a pass_speech_."

"Alright I'll take the scroll", the Uchiha stood.

"Wait a minute Sasuke I-", Naruto stopped at a sharp wind that I felt as well, "Wha? What was that?"

My brow furrowed, "_Why didn't I sense anyone_?" A huge wind current blew through the clearing. Scratches quickly formed on the trees around us and I did my best to jump out of immediate danger against the current. I landed myself in a tree a few yards away. After the wind had cleared Naruto was nowhere to be seen but I could still feel Sakura and Sasuke. Immediately I appeared before them.

"Password", Sasuke demanded.

I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms across my chest. He let out a relieved sigh and relaxed a bit as Naruto made his appearance. Something about his chakra was off though, "_Another imposter_?" Sasuke tensed again.

"Don't come any closer", Sakura raised her hand, "What's the password?"

"Oh! Right", Naruto wobbled a bit in his effort to stop himself and recited the password perfectly, "_It is an imposter_!" I swiped a kunai from my pouch and threw it at the boy. He side jumped out of the way, "What was that?! You could have killed me!"

"Gotta hand it to you; you're quicker than the last one", Sasuke complimented.

"What do you mean Sasuke-kun? He got the password right", the fan-girl asked.

"Exactly. That proves that this one's a fake! Do you really believe that Naruto would be able to memorize all that _and_ get it word for word? You'd have better luck teaching that to a hamster", Sasuke pointed out.

"Oh right", realization thick in Sakura's voice.

"Besides; the way this guy moved when he dodged Shizue's attack was definitely _not_ a Naruto move", the Uchiha noted, "All right. Give it up whoever you are! Parties over."

'Naruto's' face split in a sickening smirk and a huge puff of smoke revealed the odd Grass ninja from the before, "Tell me… if your teammate is truly that dimwitted why would you set a password that he would never remember?"

"The password was more for the ease droppers than us really", Sasuke smiled triumphantly, "It was a trap that you stumbled right into."

"I'm impressed", the Grass ninja complimented, "Yes this will be very entertaining." The woman pulled out her Earth scroll and noticed Sakura's gasp, "Ah! You would love to have this Earth scroll to put with your Heaven scroll wouldn't you?" She wrapped her super human tongue around her scroll and swallowed it whole much like a snake would, "Well… in the end one of us will have _both_ scrolls", she grabbed her face in a creepy manor, "and the other will be dead."

The bloodlust that came from that single look was enough to throw my focus right out the door. Chinmoku became restless in an instant and I could just feel him pacing impatiently. Sasuke and Sakura were in much worse state. The pinkette was literally crying and the Uchiha seemed unable to move like a frightened animal. Fear had a certain amount of hold on me as well but it was more a problem of calming my on edge nerves so I could focus. Thinking straight was hard to do with my demon urging me to let him do as he please. I stepped back and winced with the dizzying effort to stay on top of things. The Grass ninja chuckled.

"Your paralyzed with fear", she taunted Sasuke.

The raven almost mechanically began to get up and his movements were helping to draw and still my attention. I reached discreetly into my pouch and pulled out seeds. Slowly and without being entirely sure of where they were being put I spilled them onto the ground. Sasuke had now taken out a kunai and held it tightly but I wasn't sure if he could move anymore. "_Come on! Focus_!"

Our enemy started towards us while pulling out three kunai, "Don't worry I'll make it quick, I promise. Then again you've already seen it haven't you? So I don't need to tell you." She laughed and raised her weapons, "It's too bad. I thought you would be more of a challenge."

She let her kunai fly, "_Come on_", I screamed at myself. In seemingly the last second my plants shot up in a sort of barrier and Sasuke stabbed himself then pulled Sakura with him to the trees. I had leapt off in the same direction and ended up in the tree next to the raven's. I panted with the sudden force of chakra I had let out and looked up to see a snake approaching Sasuke and Sakura. It lunged for them both but followed Sasuke as he attempted to get away.

"Go away", Sasuke called almost fearfully while throwing a row of shuriken.

The stars planted themselves in the snake effectively killing it. The thud resounded through the area but was happened next was gruesome… disgusting. Eerily the skin and scales cracked apart and was pushed upward near the base of the corpse's head. From the slowly forming hole the Grass ninja began to stand up.

"I sense your fear and desperation", she spoke, "It's only natural. Prey must never let down its guard around a predator!"

The woman let out an evil cackle and her body stretched. She circled around the branch that Sasuke stood on; her body wrapping around it like a constrictor. Sasuke let out a fearful scream but shuriken and kunai stopped the woman from advancing. "_Naruto_?"

"Looks like I'm just in time", the blonde observed.

"Naruto", Sakura's entire being defined relief.

"Oh… and what was that password again", Naruto had a confident glint in his eye but it was evident that he had gone through his own trouble.

"Naruto get out of here! You don't know what you're up against", Sasuke pleaded, "Hurry while you still can."

"So Naruto", the snake woman greeted, "You managed to escape my friend. Well done."

"Aye I don't know what you're trying to pull but you've been beating on my teammates and I don't like that. So slither on back to your hole snake lady before I make you into a nice pair of shoes", Naruto threatened.

There was a moment of tense silence before Sasuke called out, "Fine! You can have it. Here take the scroll and leave us alone."

"What?!" Naruto was outraged and I was also bothered by the Uchiha's actions.

"Stay out of it", Sasuke commanded.

"Very wise… very sensible", the snake woman compliment while lifting the upper half of her body, "Sometimes the helpless prey realize that they must give the predator something more precious in order to save their own skin."

"Take it", Sasuke threw the scroll towards the woman.

In a blur Naruto had intercepted the catch and landed next to Sasuke. I listened as the blonde lectured Sasuke about giving up and being a coward. At the same time I was focused on successfully gaining complete control over myself once more. I stood on my feet at the end of the speech and jumped to where Sakura sat.

"It doesn't matter", the Grass shinobi hissed and revealed a seal that I vaguely recognized on her arm, "as far as the scroll goes I could simply kill you all and take the scroll." She drew blood from her finger and ran it along the seal, "Summoning jutsu."

At the same time that she began her jutsu Naruto charged. The blonde jumped up only to be pushed back mid-air by a great force of wind. The summoning brought forth another gargantuan snake. The Grass ninja stood atop the snake with a twisted smirk.

"Hmm you will make such a tasty snack for him", she spoke to Naruto, "Careful… he likes to play with his food."

The snake's tail whipped around and crushed the branch that Naruto stood on while smacking him on the way. The blonde flew upwards and hit a branch and I felt a different chakra coming from him. "_The Kyuubi_!" As he fell back down towards the snake he opened his eyes to reveal red irises and the marks on his cheeks had become much more prominent. He began attacking the summoning snake hands on and was pushed back by the tongue. Before he had a chance to react the Grass ninja blew fire at him that somewhat resembled one of Sasuke's jutsu. Naruto started to crash through tree branches and on instinct my body moved under his; receiving the impact before we finally stopped. Pain shot through my spine as Naruto rose off of me.

"Shizue", his voice questioning.

I grunted slightly but pointed upwards at Sasuke who was being targeted by the snake and its summoner. Naruto nodded and shot off to help. I continued to lay there for another few seconds before crawling into a sitting position. Chinmoku's chakra was quick to aid me and I could see clearly all that was happening above me. I abruptly stood as the snake-woman's tongue wrapped around Naruto and pulled him up in front of her. She lifted his shirt to reveal his demon's seal.

"Five Prong Seal", the Grass ninja called before slamming her flaming fingers into the boy's stomach, "_She's definitely not a Genin. What is she_?"

I was glad for Sakura's kunai that held my blonde teammate in place against a tree and Sasuke seemed ready to fight. For some reason it felt like that's what the woman wanted; was for Sasuke to fight her. She dismissed her snake and stood in an offensive stance with a disgusting smile. The way Sasuke moved while he fought it was like he had taken a soldier pill. Every action was well thought out and powerful. Mixed with the fire it looked like a dance of sorts. The finale was the most beautiful part in its own way. Fire licked the wires Sasuke had tied the woman up in and engulfed her body. Her scream was blood curdling. Both Sakura and I ran to Sasuke's side.

"Sasuke-kun you did it! Don't worry it's all over now", Sakura assured the wheezing boy.

I heard the wires snap and the pat of shoes on wood and snapped my head to the previously burned and dead figure of the woman only… I froze. My body buzzed. He clapped his hand together and the others froze too but not for the same reason. "_Nii-san?! The person attacked us… the person we tried to kill… was Nii-san_." His one showing eye gave it all away; the golden-green iris and purple and gold lining his nose was all I needed. Chinmoku stirred once more but I couldn't pull my attention away from Nii-san. My mouth hung open and I could hear strangled noises escaping which drew Sasuke's attention. My mask had slipped and all the emotion I felt showed plainly on my face; I could feel it. Nii-san looked my way.

"Hello Shi-chan", his voice changed from the woman's to his as he spoke.

When he addressed me it held that same kindness it did the first day. I felt something hot and wet run down the right side of my face. A single tear had escaped its confines. "_Nii-san… Nii-san_", it was all I could think. Nii-san turned his attention to Sasuke.

"Such mastery of the Sharingan at such a young age; quite the prodigy", Nii-san complimented, "Yes you'll do nicely." He pulled his hand away from his headband to reveal the symbol of the Sound, "You're definitely his brother. If anything your eyes may even be keener than Itachi's."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Sasuke was clearly shaken.

"My name is Orochimaru", images assaulted my brain while he burned our scroll, "What I want will have to wait until after you have finished this exam."

"The scroll", Sakura shouted in dismay.

"You will first have to defeat the Sound Genin that serve underneath me", the scroll continued to burn. My head hurt, "_Stop Chinmoku stop_!"

"If you're done here then why don't you leave us alone! If we never meet again it will still be too soon", the banshee beside me called.

"Oh he and I will meet again", Orochimaru assured. He performed an intricate hand sign and his neck stretched to an impossible length. He bit into Sasuke's neck.

"Sasuke-kun", Sakura didn't seem to be able to do anything though.

He held there for a few seconds and my head followed him. I was shocked. Everything that I had been shown; Nii-san was a criminal. He was biting into Sasuke's neck and after a few seconds he pulled back but moved towards me. His head stopped next to my ear.

"I've come for you too Shi-chan", he whispered, "I was so sad when you left. Why did you leave me Shi-chan? I hope to see you again after this."

He opened his mouth to bite me and yet I could do nothing to stop him. I was frozen in place out of sadness, fear, confusion, pain, desperation. Orochimaru was about to close his mouth on my neck but something or rather… someone pushed me out of the way. Orochimaru's jaw snapped at air as I fell off the branch. His head pulled back into place.

"No matter… I will have you soon enough", he spoke to himself.

Their voices were slowly fading away as I fell further and further. My body limply began shooting almost straight down; head first. I crashed through three branches before I finally hit one too thick to break. The impact I had received was causing my vision to go blurry. I could still vaguely see the splotches that were my teammates and Nii-san. Chinmoku was completely silent and everything ached. Things got darker by the second and soon there was nothing. I wasn't completely unaware. I sat alone in darkness. Never had I experienced anything like this. Either I would go to Chinmoku or I wouldn't dream at all but now… now I could think and walk but it was just never ending darkness. Nothing more and nothing less. I felt strong despair as I thought of my once deemed Nii-san, "_He said… he said he missed me but should I trust him? He's a criminal. He attacked us and did something to Sasuke. Everything about him is wrong and yet I still don't know what to think. What do I do? Someone… please… tell me_." Something broke me out of my thoughts. It sounded far away and faint but it was there. Now it was louder until…

"Lee", Sakura shouted.

I sat up suddenly and quickly; a little too quickly. Blood rushed and I felt a bit disoriented as I was taking in the scene before me. Naruto and Sasuke laid next to me unconscious while Sakura sat near the opening of the roots we hid in. Lee was being attacked by the Sound ninja and looked in a horrible state. "_I have to help him_!" The Sound shinobi hadn't noticed I was awake nor did anyone else. His arm collided with Lee's block and I heard and felt the sound waves coming from the contraption on his arm. The waves were being redirected and I flew through hand signs. I jumped out of the roots as I activated my melody. It was unheard by Sakura and Lee but the attacking Sound shinobi seemed to hear it and it threw off the waves that were about to attack Lee.

"Shizue", the green boy called in slight relief.

"Is that her", one of the Sound ninja asked the one who was most immediate.

"Yeah", he called back to his comrade.

Lightning quick I pulled and dispersed seed around the area. Rock Lee had collapsed to his hands and knees in exhaustion. Once again I flew through hand signs then slammed my hands to the ground in order to channel my chakra more directly. "_Flaming Thorn Prison Jutsu_!" Roots from my seeds appeared and covered the whole area; trapping all three attacking ninja. I gasped and fell to one knee. My head throbbed with pain; my injuries weren't completely healed and I had never released that much chakra all at once or created such a huge prison. One of the Sound shinobi tried to move his arms to the ground but hissed in pain as he was cut by a thorn.

"It... it burns", he complained.

I smirked slightly at his observation. The reason my jutsu was named the way it was is due to the burning or flaming pain that the thorns bring you when you cut yourself on one. There is no poison but the edge of the thorns are naturally designed to bring that sort of pain. Like one very deadly really bad paper cut. The man tried once again to push his arms into the ground and this time ignored the pain. Earth pushed up in a path straight to me and sound waves pushed me back into a tree before I could move. The paths changed course and began breaking apart my prison; shredding them. After they were fully released the one who had attacked Lee came at me but Sakura distracted him with a set of kunai. He blocked them easily and I inched to a standing position. As soon as I was standing I felt dizzy again.

"Agh", I let out as I fell once more to my knees and held my head.

The one who had broken my prison was upon me in seconds and blasted me with his powerful sound jutsu. I flew back towards my unconscious team and Lee caught me. He set me down and went to attack but the mummified shinobi only hit him to the ground and Lee couldn't seem to get back up. I wasn't able to move either. Sakura was grabbed by the kunoichi of the group. She held Sakura by the hair.

"My what soft and shiny hair", she complimented the pinkette, "though I'm sure if you spent less time conditioning your hair and more time training then maybe you wouldn't be in this position." The woman smiled a nasty smile, "Hey Zaku; you know what would be fun? If we made this little punk watch while we killed that Sasuke brat."

Zaku (apparently) smiled in a similar way, "Why not? Sounds like fun to me!"

Sakura attempted to move but the kunoichi yanked her back, "Don't even try."

My teammate seemed to cave and began crying. I felt an odd chakra coming from behind me and found the source to be Sasuke. Purple energy seemed to flow from the point that Orochimaru had bit him. I heard footsteps and noticed Zaku idly walking towards us. Lee groaned in protest from his spot face down in the ground. Sakura pulled out a kunai and cut her hair. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. She treated her hair like it had feelings sometimes. "_So she's finally taking some initiative_", I was pleased. Sakura flipped through hand signs as the Sound kunoichi went to attack her only to run into a log. My comrade came out from a different spot and attempted to attack Zaku but he had been prepared and blasted the shuriken back at her once again to hit a log. Finally she came from the air but when her weapons were blown back it was only into her. Using surprise to her advantage she stabbed Zaku's arm and bit down on the other one. That seemed the end of her attack as she was now being beaten over the head by Zaku's free fist. It was almost painful to watch her as she was finally punched a few feet away. Zaku prepared to blast her the same way he did me but more than likely with more force. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji now decided to make an appearance; standing protectively in front of Sakura and Shikamaru continuously glanced over at me worriedly. "_Can they really take on those Sound shinobi_", I was worried. I attempted to move my body but it wasn't cooperating with me; even with healing abilities there were limits and it took time. Choji seemed the only one of the group who had any objection but both Ino and Shikamaru were dead set on helping. Ino was doing it for Sakura's sake and (he would never admit it) Shikamaru was more than likely doing it for my sake.

The energy coming from Sasuke was building and it practically reeked of Nii-sa-… Orochimaru's chakra. No one else seemed to notice but I wasn't sure whether that was good or bad. I inched towards Sasuke as best I could but I could barely move; whatever attack Zaku had used was strong. As soon as I was close enough I shakily reached forward and brought my hand near to the mark. It radiated heat and as soon as my finger touched the skin I was burned, "_What did he do to you_?" That was a silly question and I was fully aware of that because instantly Chinmoku showed me what was going on with Sasuke. The fight between the Ino-Shika-Cho squad had begun behind me. I heard Sakura come up behind me and lean into my ear.

"Come on we need to move to a safer place", her hoarse voice spoke of the condition she was in.

I nodded and let her grab Sasuke and Naruto to drag them over and she helped me move as well. The pinkette moved to sit in front of us in a defensive way though I'm sure that even she knew she couldn't do much right now.

**Was it good? There was a lot of action in this one yeah? Anyway I'm really sorry about the late update. School started again and homework was practically attempting to drown me. So to answer a few questions; Kiba doesn't really see Shizue as a love interest though back when I was writing their first encounter I was tempted to make that happen. Shikamaru may or may not like her but I'm not sure. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I appreciate any critics or praises. Buh-Bye ~Kue**


	11. Let The Games Begin

**Everything I have to say is at the bottom. I don't own Naruto unfortunately :I**

I turned to face Sasuke with worry riddling my features; that curse mark could kill him if he didn't overcome it. The fight behind me was coming to a stop as Ino's mind transfer jutsu was found out and Shikamaru's shadow receded. Everyone else's attention was drawn by Neji and Tenten who had been watching from the trees for a while but I was more drawn to something odd suddenly happening with Sasuke. His eyes moved rapidly beneath his eyelids and the purple chakra rising from him spiked in power exponentially. The Uchiha's fingers flinched and I reached out to check him but he sat up very abruptly causing me to retract the outstretched hand. Quickly and with a bit of sway he stood and the chakra around him continued to flare. Dark marks that came with the curse mark began stretching across the side of his face and arm; eventually showing past the rim of his shorts. The heat he omitted was immense. His eyes scanned over me quickly then Sakura and he seemed to have a sense of rage that flared.

"Sakura who did that to you", he questioned fiercely. I had a feeling that even if the pinkette didn't give him an answer that he would strike the opposing Genin. When Sakura didn't answer he persisted, "Who was it?"

"Sasuke-kun… what's happened to you", the pinkette's voice was thick with fear and unshed tears. There was so much killing intent coming from him; I would have been affected if it weren't for my exhaustion and recent repeated encounters with the energy.

"Don't worry", Sasuke looked down at his marked hand, "I'm alright. It's just all the power flowing through me. This is the power that _he_ gave me. I am an Avenger and I must gain power." I looked up at the Uchiha worriedly, "_I hope this is the curse mark talking. Please… let it just be the curse mark_."

"What's wrong Dosu? Getting cold feet", Zaku questioned their mummified leader whose one visible eye was wide with an unknown understanding.

"No Zaku! Stop", Dosu tried to keep Zaku from attacking Sasuke.

"Watch me take time out in one move", Zaku announced proudly, "Super Sonic Slicing Wave!"

Zaku held up both hands and blasts of winds came from the little hole on each palm. Instinctively I winced and leaned back but nothing came. Instead Sasuke had grabbed all three of us a second before the attack reached us and moved us behind Zaku. The Uchiha looked irritated and I felt fear of him bubble up for the first time.

"What'd ya know? Blew 'em all away", Zaku stated cockily.

"Not quite", Sasuke retorted and slammed a backwards fist into Zaku's head effectively throwing him to the side.

The Sound ninja stared in awe. Sasuke flew through hand signs and summoned fire balls that were aimed for Zaku. He tried to defend himself with his sound waves but only revealed hidden shuriken that sliced into his skin repeatedly. Sasuke flashed passed Zaku and appeared behind him while pulling Zaku's arms back with a foot in his lower back.

"You seem very proud of these arms", Sasuke taunted, "You must be… very attached to them."

"No stop", Zaku pleaded while Sasuke began to pull on the opposing ninja's arms.

I could only watch in horror as my body refused to cooperate. My teammate kept on yanking until three very distinct cracks resounded through the air and signaled broken arms and I could fell bile rise in my throat. Zaku cried out in pain and fell to the ground practically limp. The look on Sasuke's face… it was like he enjoyed doing it. Sasuke turned to Dosu and began towards him promising that the mummified ninja would be next. I could feel Sakura's distress as tears welled up in her eyes. Even I felt the need to stop him. My hand twitched as I reached towards his retreating back. "_This is… this is too much. So much has already happened. Just… just stop_." Sakura shot to her feet and sprinted towards Sasuke.

"No! Stop", she screamed as she flung her arms around Sasuke's mid-section and pulled him tight to her. "Please… don't do it."

Sasuke turned and looked towards her then his gaze flickered to me. I must have looked absolutely terrified because realization flickered at Sakura and I before his tense stance began to ebb away. The marks receded to his neck and his eyes returned to normal. All the strength he previously possessed faded as well and he fell to sit on the ground and panted.

"Sasuke", Dosu called while holding out their scroll, "It seems that we have underestimated you. I can't hope to defeat you right now. As a bargain I will give you our scroll and you let us go. Next time though… we won't run or hide." Dosu grabbed his companions and began walking away. I crawled over to where Sasuke was still sitting and pulled out one of my storage scroll, "_There's got to be something in here that will help Sakura and Sasuke with the pain_."

"Wait", Sakura called on the other side of Sasuke, "Who is this Orochimaru guy? And what did he do to Sasuke?" While she yelled I opened the scroll; I didn't even need to bite my finger I just used some of the blood from my open wounds. I looked through my seeds until I found what I was looking for and pushed it into the ground, "_The last time I used this plant I was stuck in the forest after my village was destroyed_", I thought humorlessly.

"I don't know. All I know is that we were ordered to attack and we did", Dosu stated. "I don't know why we would be ordered to assassinate someone with whom he had bestowed such power and I don't know why Sasuke even survived the curse mark. There are many things that I don't know."

I heard Dosu's footsteps once more but ignored him. I focused what chakra I had left to make the little seed grow to a healthy plant and pulled off two large leafs. I snapped in front of my two comrades and they looked at me questioningly and I held the two leafs next to their mouths then opened mine and pointed at in telling them to eat it. They both took their own and looked at them.

"What does it do", Sakura asked. I drew into the ground, 'It will help get rid of the pain.' The pinkette nodded and ate it gratefully.

"What about you? Don't you need one?" Sasuke looked at me with a bit of concern that most people would have missed. I pushed his hand towards his mouth a bit more and shook my head. His brow furrowed but he ate the plant none-the-less.

"Hey, are you guys okay", Shikamaru asked as he and his team ran towards us.

Lee came to mind and I remembered his condition as well. I pulled off another leaf and gave it to Ino then pointed to Lee. She nodded in understanding then headed off towards him. I bit my lip and felt my face pull into one of contemplation, "_Chinmoku… what could this mean_?" A ways behind us I could hear Naruto being kicked awake. He started to freak out as soon as he gained consciousness. Slowly I regained composure and brought my expression back to its usual absence.

"Naruto", Sakura called questioningly. I didn't even bother to look at the blonde.

"You really are annoying", Shikamaru complained.

Something seemed to click with Naruto, "Sakura-chan!" He ran over to us, "Something… I mean something major happened… happened to your hair!"

"Oh that", the pinkette's expression softened a bit, "I just… wanted to change my look. I do like it long but when I'm out in a survival setting like this it's gets in the way too much."

"So what happened? Why are you guys here", Naruto asked Shikamaru and Choji as they walked up behind us.

"Explaining everything to you is going to be such a drag", Shikamaru sighed.

"Everyone… just showed up to help", Sakura stated simply.

Tenten showed up to take Lee off Ino's hands and Naruto looked at me and a sort of seriousness came over his face, "Shizue… what… what happened to you?"

I looked down at myself and realized how truly horrible I appeared. There were scratches and bruises littering my skin and parts of my shirt and pants were torn. On my jaw I could feel that there was a long gash that had yet to even completely close up. "_I must really be depleted if… if none of this has healed yet_." Obviously this was also what Sasuke had seen. The boy who had sparred with me countless times had rarely ever seen me this beat up. It more than likely only added fuel to the fire. Now this is what Naruto was seeing and I know that he may have only seen me like this once; on the Wave mission. After taking in my visage I shook my head at Naruto to signal that it didn't matter. Naruto seemed to just now notice Lee's presence and his conversation with Tenten.

He jumped over to them and pointed at Lee, "Hey! I know you Bushy-Brow!"

"Hey! You better not say anything about Lee", Sakura shouted while planting a fist on Naruto's face and sending him flying. The banshee turned to Lee with a kind expression, "Lee… thank you. Because of you I was able to push myself and become a better Kunoichi."

"Thank you Sakura-chan", Lee said while trying to rub away his tears. Sasuke got up and walked over to them apparently not noticing that I hadn't followed. "But my efforts were not good enough. Sasuke, you are very strong; you truly live up to the Uchiha reputation. Unlike you I was beaten to a pulp." Lee turned to me, "Shizue-chan… the lotus of the Leaf village blooms twice. When we meet again I will have become a stronger shinobi. I promise you that!" I nodded in approval.

"Sakura-chan! Hey come over here I wanna fix your hair for you", Ino called.

"Huh", Sakura seemed confused for a moment before smiling, "Yeah I'd like that."

While the girls were busy Shikamaru and Choji began trying to explain the situation to Naruto. Sasuke looked me over then came back to where I was sitting on the ground and got down to my level.

"Can't you stand?" He eyed me calculatingly. And I shook my head 'no'. "What did they do to you that brought you to this point? They couldn't have been that bad", Sasuke said while helping to hoist me to my feet. My arm was wrapped around his shoulders and I could tell he was struggling with my weight but I was grateful anyway. "By the way", he began hesitantly, "When we were approached by… by that Orochimaru guy...", I tensed, "why… I mean… who is he to you?"

I winced at the words and felt my eyes sting at the thoughts that came to me. I shook my head at it and mouthed 'later'. He seemed reluctant but nodded anyway. After we had gathered our wits and said goodbye to our fellow Genin we headed off on our way. By the time we had separated from the other it was about mid-day and every single one of us was drained. We stopped on one of the larger trees.

"We should camp out here", Sasuke said. I could run relatively on my own now despite my exhaustion.

"Okay but maybe we should make a plan for when we wake on how to get the Heaven scroll we need", Sakura mused.

I nodded my head; I had been thinking of one for the past twenty minutes and had finally settled on one. I sat down and signaled for the others to follow my example.

"What? You've already got one Shizue", Naruto seemed surprised.

Dragging a finger through the dirt and moss that clung to our branch I illustrated the trap we would set. Once it was night time we would line a large area around the tree with wire that would signal the presence of enemies by tugging on a weak nearby branch. On one side of the tree we would place our scroll out in the open and make a perimeter of seeds in the ground around the scroll. When other shinobi crossed into our territory they would approach the scroll and when they were close enough I would activate my seeds and trap them in the thorn prison then we could take both scrolls, knock them out, and run.

"Very nice", Sasuke complimented.

"So now that that's out of the way we should get some sleep", Naruto fist pumped.

"Who's going to take first watch", Sakura asked aloud.

"The Dobe", Sasuke replied almost instantly.

"What was that Teme?! Why do I have to take first watch?" In the blink of an eye Naruto was in the raven's face with a tick in his forehead.

"Because Dobe; you didn't do anything in the last fight. All you did was sleep so it's only fair that you take first watch", Sasuke pushed.

Naruto growled in annoyance, "Fine!"

We all crawled into the upper branches and I pushed up against one of the places with more tilted growth. From here you could see straight through the foliage and to the ground but it was considerably harder to do it the other way around. I looked to see that the banshee was already out and breathing heavily and Sasuke was getting into a comfortable position. Steadily I let my body relax and felt my eyes get heavy. I gave no resistance as I fell into sleep. I was thankful that I wasn't stuck in that awful black space but instead the place I wanted to be in most; my mindscape. Taking the familiar route I sat outside the cage bars this time.

"_Chinmoku_", I called out to him in thought and he approached accordingly. It seemed he had been napping. "_Sorry to wake you_." He didn't seem to really care. "_We have a lot to think about… this has all been so stressful. What could Orochimaru be planning anyway? Did he only come here for Sasuke and… me_?" Chinmoku's eyes were covered slightly suggesting that he was pulling his brows together in thought and disagreement. "_You're right… no he is a high ranked criminal and that means that he wouldn't come all this way for such a simple reason. What about Kabuto? Can we trust him_?" The wolf-fox shook his head, "_That's what I thought. I have to be careful. No doubt he'll make it to the next round; after seven times it's nearly impossible that he still wouldn't make it. By the way… is there any way I can get rid of that infernal curse mark_?" Images flashed but all of them required something that was either forbidden or impossible at my level. "_Well he is still in pain. I'll get him some more of that plant when I wake_", I paused, "_Speaking of which… will I have my chakra back when I gain consciousness? And what about my injuries_?" Chinmoku nodded and showed me that if I got at least seven hours of rest then I should be fully restored. I sighed and glanced up at the seal which now had the tiniest amount of extra dirt and tear on it. "_Orochimaru stirred you so strongly. The seal has taken a bit more damage… what does all this mean? What is the Sanin's purpose_?"

We sat in silence for a while and my mind wandered to the next round. "_Maybe… a tournament? That's what would make the most sense right? First we have a written test, then a field test, and in the end a tournament. The question is… will it be team against team or is it person against person. I guess… they would prefer one on one… at least that's how it would be eventually. Chunin are evaluated individually. This will definitely be interesting_." For a long time I sat the with my mind going to many different and mundane things but I refused to contemplate Orochimaru or rather… the part of Orochimaru that I considered Nii-san. At one point I approached my recent composure. I scolded myself for the way I had let my emotions show for the past day and a half and promised myself that I would keep myself in check. Eventually I felt that familiar tug and I looked up at my Bijuu in goodbye.

When I opened my eyes again the sky was pitch black except for the little stars that barely showed through the vegetation and the daunting moon that sat high up. My teammates were gathered around me and Naruto was pointing to the ninja wire in his hand. "_Ah… so it's time to set up the trap_." I gave a curt nod and then looked down to observe myself. All the damage was healed and as my fingers flitted over my jaw I felt nothing but smooth skin. I was pleased to also find my chakra reserves were back to full and I stood up with the others. Sakura and Naruto seemed a bit astonished but Sasuke already knew. We jumped down and worked together to set up the trap before returning to the tree. I sent the others off to sleep once more and kept watch. It wasn't until the sun began to rise that I woke them again. They were all refreshed and ready to go so we all sat and kept watch while we ate some of the food that I had stored before the exam began. After breakfast they took to quietly chatting with each other. We were each exceedingly skilled in the art of waiting after having Kakashi as our sensei for so long. Two hours passed before the designated branch finally rustled. I concentrated and sensed our 'prey' not too far off. The foreign signatures were approaching fast and soon enough they were within visual range of both us and the scroll. All three Kiri ninja halted once they spotted our Earth scroll lying innocently on the ground.

"What a stroke of luck", a young boy stated excitedly, "It's just the one we need."

"You idiot", another boy reprimanded while placing a restraining hand on his comrade's shoulder, "This is probably a trap and now you've given away what scroll we have."

"We should check for any booby traps before approaching it", the third boy put in timidly.

The three began circling the scroll and looking at every nook and cranny for a trap that they could not find. "Ha", the first one exclaimed, "Someone really just left this here!"

"What moron would really just drop their scroll like this", the second one had a condescending tone.

"It was probably one of those rookie's from the Leaf", the first one laughed.

"Guys we should just take the scroll and get out of here before someone finds us", the timid one stated nervously.

"He's right, come on", the second boy agreed. The three Genin converged on the scroll. "_Now_!" My jutsu sprung up and trapped all three shinobi in a tight embrace.

"What", all three yelled in unison.

We jumped down in front of them each of my teammates sporting a triumphant smirk. "Hand over your scroll", Sasuke commanded.

"What was that about the rookie Genin", Naruto taunted with a laugh.

"How did you-", the second one began.

"Stop with the chatting and hand over your scroll now or we'll just take it from you", Sasuke held out his hand.

"Let's just see you try", the first one argued but Sakura was already making her way to knock them out. I made a hole big enough for her to punch them with her brute like strength and just as I thought she was able to knock them all out without breaking a sweat.

"That was too easy", Naruto bragged happily.

"Come on guys let's just go to the tower now", Sakura suggested.

"Hn", Sasuke agreed while I just gave my standard nod.

Our trek to the tower wasn't too tough; we ran into only a few giant bugs and one very carnivorous plant but the trip was relatively steady. When we got to one of the many doors circling the building there was a small piece of paper taped over the door that we tore in two when we entered. Inside we were in a room with a poster on the wall. It read, 'If qualities of Heaven are what you desire; acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If Earthly qualities are what you lack; train your body and prepare to attack. When Heaven and Earth are opened together the peril less path will become righteous forever; this _ is the secret way that guides us from this place today'. "_When Heaven and Earth are opened together_."

"So what now", Naruto complained. Sakura began reading aloud the poster but I was already grabbing our two scrolls from Naruto's pouch.

I walked in front of them and the only one who seemed even remotely able to see what I was doing was Sakura. I flung both scrolls out in front of me so that they opened with the force of the throw and quickly recognized the summoning inscriptions. I threw down the scrolls criss-crossing on top of one another. From the smoke was Iruka-sensei standing on top of the scrolls.

"Hey", he looked at us with a smirk, "Long time no see, huh?"

"Iruka-sensei?" Every one of them seemed surprised.

Iruka-sensei backed off of the scrolls and I quizzically bent down to study them. I narrowed my eyes at the summoning inscriptions. "_What would he have done if we had opened it up in the beginning of the exam_?" Our ex-instructor began explaining his purpose. He went on to tell us the importance of the quote on our path to becoming and being Chunin.

"Got it", Naruto saluted.

Iruka-sensei seemed in deep thought, "Um… one more thing… for the third exam; don't push it too far. Especially you Naruto." I was beginning to get annoyed with Iruka-sensei's obvious favoritism.

"Iruka-sensei; when I got this headband I became a Leaf shinobi", Naruto defended confidently, "So you don't need to worry about me!" He smiled and grabbed his headband lightly, "You gave it to me remember? I may still be hyper but I'm not a kid. Like you said we got through the second part of the exams and I'm going to pass the third part. Believe it!"

"Yeah… you're right. Sorry Naruto", Iruka-sensei apologized, "Well now I should lead you guys in so follow me to the door."

We all followed him to a pale green door that was placed on the far back of the room and once inside a huge circular arena was revealed. "_I knew it_." He directed us to where we would find our rooms. The corridors were mostly silent except for the occasional Genin roaming around. Once inside our room Sakura instantly headed off for a shower and the rest of us unpacked. There was a nice little flower pot sitting next to the window with a young tulip growing out of it. I plucked the tulip and replaced it with the 'pain-killer plant' (as Naruto called it). The boys were checking stock and lying around so I decided to take a walk around. It was a nice day out if you looked passed the tree cover; the sky was an ice blue and the sun shined brightly. "_We still have two days before this test is over… what then? Will we have a break or… will they throw us into the next test directly after_?" I felt Gaara coming once he was a few feet away just around the corner. His dark presence seemed to have been dampened a little, "_He probably got to fight while finding his scroll… maybe even kill_." I stopped and waited for him to come into sight. As soon as I could see him I knew that he had come out of the forest without a single scratch. His clothes had absolutely no wear and tear to them and his skin showed no markings of scars or scabs.

I looked straight into his pale jade eyes with him staring right back into my own gold ones. There was something about Gaara that, in a way, pulled me towards him. Some invisible force made me want to help him, befriend him, and know him. It's a fairly foolish feeling because it's obvious that this boy is murderous and probably doesn't take kindly to friendly people.

"You're like me. I can see it in your eyes… that pain." His gruff and chilling voice was a bit of a shock to the previously dead silent space.

To be honest I was shocked, "_He can see right through me… no one is able to do that… why can he_?" I have no idea what suddenly possessed me but without warning my feet moved towards him and he visibly tensed. I stopped in front of him and lifted my hand slightly. It was evident that at first Gaara was too shocked at my actions to respond. Our eyes were locked and I could see straight into his blue-green depths. As soon as my hand had moved I could hear the sand in his gourd shift. Flinching; I paused, "_Don't stop now. You already almost there_." My fingers reached just two inches from his face before sand shot between us and wrapped around my wrist, "_Just as I thought. The Ichibi helps him with an automatic barrier_."

"What are you doing", he growled as the sand began to climb around and up my arm.

I stayed calm as the sand went higher and higher until it was near my throat, 'You won't do it', I mouthed.

"And why is that?" He seemed angered that I assumed he wouldn't kill me.

'Because you want a real fight from the people that can give you one', I answered without sound; something I had to do often when on missions with my team.

A scowl formed on the Sand ninja's face as if not sure whether he liked that answer or not. The sand was beginning to create an itchy uncomfortable feeling. From inside I asked Chinmoku to lend me some of his energy or rather… the feeling of his energy and I released it so that Shukaku would back off. It worked. The sand quickly receded and a confused expression came over Gaara's face.

'We are more alike than you know', I formed. His scowl deepened I decided that I wouldn't stick around to see him have a mental battle with his Bijuu.

**Two Days Later**

I hadn't had a minute of sleep since my rest in the forest and though that didn't really bother me it still allowed for much boredom. Finding a place to train without being noticed/watched was difficult and only got harder as teams slowly trickled in from the forest after completing their tasks. Shikamaru's team didn't get to the tower until late last night so it wasn't like I could play Shoji in my free time either. To say the past two days had moved slow would be an understatement. Needless to say I was very pleased when Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I were called down to the original arena we arrived at.

Each team that had passed was lined up in separate rows. All of the rookie ten was there including us as well as Rock Lee's team, the Sound team, and Kabuto's. There was one team of unknowns from Iwa who lived up to the reputation of a soldier like attitude. In front of us was a row of Jounin, Chunin, and the Hokage himself. I tensed when I realized I could feel Orochimaru's presence but it was nearly impossible to trace. With Anko-sama and Sasuke in the room Orochimaru's signature seemed to float around where it pleased. It was aggravating to know he was here but not be able to know where.

"First of all; congratulations on completing the second exam", Anko-sama complimented.

All the teams seemed off in their own world. Even the Jounin and Chunin appeared slightly distracted. Our team wasn't really an exception.

"Alright; listen up maggots! Hokage-sama will now explain to you the third exam", Anko-sama called for attention.

Hokage-sama cleared his throat then took a step forward, "Before I list the rules of the third exam there is something you all need to understand", he introduced. "I will now explain the true purpose of these exams", I sighed internally, "_Is that all_?" "Why do you suppose our countries hold these exams? To monitor the progress of ability and to create ties between neighboring nations of course, but there is more to it than that." He paused for the words to sink in and dramatic effect I suppose, "It's a kind of representation of battle between nations."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten was obviously shocked at the proclamation.

"If we look at our past all of the allied nations were once neighboring countries that fought constantly over power", he stated, "In order to stop each other from destroying our militaries meaninglessly we each began choosing champions who would do battle on behalf of their countries. This is how the Chunin exams were started."

"That's nice and all but why do we have to go through these exams then?" Of course Naruto was confused, "It's not like we're doing this to pick Chunin to go fight."

"While it _is_ true that we use this test to select those worthy of becoming Chunin; that just isn't the whole story. This is also an exam where shinobi can carry the pride of their village on their backs and fight against other ninja for their lives. Many leaders and people of great political and economic power come to these exams to watch and pick out potential employees." Hokage-sama paused, "This exam is capable of determining the course of your work as a shinobi forever. Those countries who show strong ninja will have an increase in available jobs while those who so a weakness in shinobi power will have a decrease. It's very important to show off our military strength."

"Okay then", Kiba intervened, "Then why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?"

"The country's strength is the village's strength and the village's strength is the shinobi's strength. A shinobi's true strength will only show when pushed to its limits", our leader explained. "This test also serves as a good way to showcase those talents that only truly shine when one fights for their life."

Tenten frowned deeply, "Then why bother with a term like 'friendship'?"

"I've already said haven't I? It's a custom that preserves the balance by fighting and sometimes removing life. This is the friendship of the Shinobi world. A fight for life, pride of the village, and one's own dream."

Naruto seemed to legitimately understand though I wasn't sure, "Ha. I'm convinced."

"Let's get started", Gaara's gruff voice commanded. Probably the most words most of the people in this room had heard from him.

Hokage-sama's eyes scanned our faces; checking our resolve no doubt. "Very well", he stated after a moment, "Now for the third exam-"

A sickly looking man stepped forward interrupting the Hokage, "Please allow me to explain Hokake-sama."

"Go ahead", the older man prompted.

"Hello my name is Gekko Hayate and I will be your proctor for the third exam", the man coughed briefly before continuing, "As part of the third exam we have decided to hold a preliminary exam."

There were many protests throughout the room of confusion and distaste. I myself was a little offset, "_A preliminary? So this won't be deciding our position as Chunin at all_." My attention was drawn when our new proctor raised a hand to quiet us down.

"I understand your confusion but we currently have much too many people who have passed through the first and second tests. We must narrow down the participating candidates", Hayate went into another violent fit of coughs my eyes flickered with concern but the sickly man seemed to simply brush it off. "In the final part of the third exam we will be joined by many important people including feudal lords, the Kazekage, and potential customers so we don't have enough time for so many people to fight." Another cough. "These preliminaries will be one on one battles including fights against your comrades. Knowing this those of you who do not feel you are in condition to fight or do not wish to advance please step forward now otherwise the preliminaries will begin immediately."

It seemed my team took this as the time to argue. The banshee started it, "S-sasuke-kun…", she sounded hesitant, "I… I don't think you should compete in this part."

"What", Sasuke already looked pissed.

"W-well I mean we should tell someone about that mark. It's been hurting you and I don't think that you are in any condition to fight", Sakura took a slight step back.

"We're not telling _anyone_ about this mark", Sasuke growled.

"But Sasu-", the pinkette began but I stopped her with an arm pushing into her chest lightly. I shook my head.

"Sasuke-teme will be fine I'm sure", Naruto said confidently.

Sakura sighed in defeat. Meanwhile I could see Anko-sama and Kakashi-sensei having a heated conversation. "_Maybe we don't have to tell them at all. Anko-sama might already know_." Suddenly the room went quiet and I swiveled my head around to look at Kabuto's raised hand.

"Excuse me but I quit", Kabuto announced to Gekko-sama.

Instantly I felt my team tense. Personally I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, "_Kabuto would have no problem with the next round. It's very evident that he has no major injuries not to mention his wealth of information on the others. So why is he quitting_?" He must have felt my eyes on him because he glanced at me from the side of his eye and smiled somewhere between wicked and friendly. I could never tell the difference when it came to Kabuto. Sasuke leaned over next to my ear.

"Why would he quit? He's made it so far and knows so much", the raven sounded just as suspicious as I was. "Do you think the third part is really that tough?" I shook my head slightly meaning 'no' and ended our short whispered conversation.

Gekko-sama must have dismissed Kabuto while we were talking because the grey haired ninja calmly turned and left the building. After he was gone there was no one else willing to leave. We looked ready to continue since our newest proctor began clearing his throat though it was relatively useless since he just went into another coughing fit.

"Now since we have no one else quitting", he paused just to check then continued, "as I said before the matches will be one on one. The winner of each match will advance to the next round. The fights will continue until one or both of the parties are unable to battle, dead, or admits defeat. As proctor I am able to step in if I deem the match over in order to stop needless killing. Your opponents will be randomly decided on that screen." He raised his hand pointing to a spot in the wall that opened to reveal a black screen. "Now this is your final chance to back out of the matches. No? Okay then we will begin immediately."

All eyes were on the little black screen as it flitted through many names. It seemed to take forever but it finally stopped.

_Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado_

"_Let the games begin_", I thought with anticipation.

**Okay so I know I've been gone for a long time and I'm really sorry. Please don't kill me kay? Then again you may not care and if that's the case well I'm still sorry for the delay. BUT school is over for now which means I have lots of time on my hands for writing. I plan to update often on this story as well as the other two that I have neglected. Also we are beginning to see Gaara and Shizue's relationship develop. Are you excited? I hope you guys are happy with this chapter and I will update soon. I appreciate any critics or praises. Buh-Bye ~Kue**


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